Bees and Pollen

Honey bees collect pollen because it is protein-rich food for them.
The ecological byproduct and major bonus for us is that they cross-pollinate plants. Without bee pollination, most fruits, nuts and vegetables we rely upon for food sources would not "set fruit."

When the bees return to the hive, I can tell that some are loaded with nectar (the sugar-rich fluid they extract from flowers and turn into honey). The nectar-loaded bees are slower and heavy, and sometimes miss the landing board on their first attempt.

Others, are returning with pollen. They have visible lumps packed to the hairs near their hind legs (think bicycle pannier). I had read that pollen comes in a range of colors, depending on the plant source, but had only seen yellow-gold until today. Look for the red spot near the center of this photo.