In Poland alone, there are 470 species of bees, and around 20,000 species worldwide (that we know of). However, bees are not the only pollinating insects, as beetles (which pollinate species from the water-lily family, including water lilies), butterflies, and hoverflies also play a role in pollination. What’s more, there are even animals that pollinate, including birds (e.g., hummingbirds or honeyeaters, which pollinate Australian mistletoe) and even mammals, such as bats, which pollinate agaves, without which we wouldn’t have tequila or syrups.
Let’s focus on other bees—since the honeybee often steals the spotlight. Although the honeybee is an excellent pollinator of crops and is responsible for pollinating 80% of the food requiring insect pollination, it has been observed to pollinate only 10% of insect-pollinated plants in wild environments (where there were no hives nearby).
Bumblebees
In Poland, we have several species of bumblebees, all of which belong to the bee family. However, in gardens, we usually encounter earth bumblebees. These are commercially bred and used in greenhouses to pollinate tomato crops. The honeybee would not be suitable for this task, as it is more aggressive (and people work in greenhouses), and it also cannot pollinate vibrationally, which is necessary to achieve high yields from these crops.
Vibrational pollination involves intense shaking of the thorax and wings. This is useful for plants with a unique structure, where the anthers are fused together into a tube with an opening at the tip, and the pollen grains are enclosed inside. The pollen needs to be shaken out. This pollination strategy is employed by about 8% of insect-pollinated plant species, narrowing down the group of insects that can transfer their pollen. „Difficult” anthers are found in some crops from the nightshade family, such as potatoes, eggplants, tomatoes, and peppers… Bumblebees are capable of shaking the pollen out of the „anther tube” by vigorously vibrating their abdomens. Without this behavior, the crop yield would be much smaller.
For this reason, when observing honeybees and bumblebees feeding on flowers, we can notice that the former do so in silence, while the latter produce a loud buzzing sound.
Megachile rotundata
This species is native to Europe, and although it visits many flowers, it prefers those from the legume family, such as alfalfa, from which it gets its name. These flowers have a specific structure. They consist of a boat-shaped keel and a banner. The keel hides long stamens inside. When a pollinator lands on the flower, it automatically presses it down and bends it, releasing the flexible stamens, which strike the anthers against the keel’s roof, releasing the pollen.
The movement of the anthers upwards is so dynamic that they „whip” the bee with considerable force, which causes, for example, the honeybee to become dizzy after visiting an alfalfa flower and take some time to recover. However, the alfalfa leaf cutter bee is resistant to the „tapping” effect of the alfalfa flower, making it an effective pollinator.
Alfalfa is an important forage crop (used for feeding livestock), and since the honeybee is not particularly well-suited for its pollination, the alfalfa leaf cutter bee has been introduced to other continents to handle the explosive flowers and ensure high yields.
An interesting behavior of the alfalfa leaf cutter bee is lining the inside of its nesting cells, where it lays eggs and stores pollen, with fragments of leaves. It cuts them with its mandibles, as shown in the picture.

Osmia bicornis
Fruit growers have fallen in love with this species of bee. It has one generation per year, which appears from April to June – the time when most fruit-bearing plants, such as apple trees, are in bloom. The garden bumblebee is a solitary species. It lays its eggs along with pollen clumps in empty plant stems (such as reeds), cracks under bark, and tunnels created by beetles. It has also been found in cracks in walls – hence the first part of its Polish name. The bees separate each cell, where a new female or male will develop, with a clay wall. In spring, the new bees emerge from the cells and establish their own nests. Garden bumblebees can be invited into gardens by building homes out of reeds.
These are gentle bees, and due to their ease of cultivation and perfect timing for appearing in the field, they are used by fruit growers. The growers do not need to take care of them – it is enough to place bee cocoons in the orchard, and they can pretty much forget about them. In contrast, honey bee colonies, although they can reach large numbers, require constant care.






Article written by: Martyna Walerowicz