Lobelias, especially Lobelia erinus or Mannestreu, are very popular as garden and balcony plants - and not just among gardeners. Many insects also adore the beautiful bellflower plant. You can find out whether bees are part of this in this article.
Are lobelias interesting for bees?
Lobelias, especially Lobelia erinus, are bee-friendly and serve as an important food source for bees. They visit the plants for both nectar and pollen, pollinating the flowers and transporting the pollen to the nest.
Is lobelia bee-friendly?
The lobelia isabsolutely bee-friendlyIt serves as animportant food source for the small flying insects to which we owe delicious honey. Bees are interested in both lobelia's nectar and pollen, field observations show.
How does a bee behave on a lobelia?
The behavior of a bee on a lobelia is an exciting observation: it often slips completely into the five millimeter long corolla tube to enjoy thedeeply hidden nectar.
When crawling in, the entireupper body of the bee is pollinated with pollen, provided the bellflower plant is currently in the male phase of flowering.
A few seconds later the bee comes out again. She briefly cleans her antennae and then flies on to the next lobelia blossom, where the natural spectacle begins again.
What does the bee do with the lobelia pollen?
The beestores the lobelia pollenand then brings it to her nest. This is how it happens: After visiting a few flowers, the bee stays on the petals longer. There she brushes the passively collected pollen from her body and transfers it through her middle legs to the pollen transport devices on her hind legs. Finally, the bee transports its pollen preyto the nest
Tip
Pollination of Lobelia species also occurs through other animals
The different Lobelia species are pollinated by different animals. For some plants in this attractive genus, hummingbirds or bats also take on this task.
