Bumblbee On Radish Flower
ArtByJudieAnn(c)2023
This little bee has had a busy day by the looks of those pollen sacs.
Portugal Cove, Newfoundland
Licenses available.
Bee fact: Bumblebee pollen sacs or baskets are known as corbicula.
Bees have a tibia or shin similar to humans.
On the tibia is a flat, shiny convex area that is surrounded by
long stiff hairs where the pollen sac is located.
On the lower end of the tibia is a comb-like structure which the bee
works with their foot and ankle to press the pollen into the sac.
A female bee will push the pollen gathered on her body down toward her lower legs,
where she mixes the pollen with nectar and packs it into her pollen sac from the bottom up.
The hairs hold it in place.
When the pollen sac is full, it can hold more than one million grains of pollen.