Floral constancy

If you see a honey bee moving from flower to flower of the same species, you are witnessing a behavior described by Aristotle over two thousand years ago. Honey bees establish floral constancy after visiting a flower that provides a valuable resource, be it nectar or pollen. This constancy is revealed through brilliantly colored pollen pellets, collected to satisfy the protein requirements of the hive, and highly desirable monofloral honeys, such as sourwood derived from the nectar of a single species. The flower in need of reproduction produces an astounding variety of scents and visual displays to entice pollinators from near and far.

Honey bees collecting pollen from Salix discolor