Editing Pollinator (section)

==== Bees ====
[[File:Lipotriches sp..jpg|thumb|left|''[[Lipotriches]]'' sp. bee pollinating flowers]]
The most recognized pollinators are the various species of [[bee]]s,<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Klein AM, Vaissière BE, Cane JH, Steffan-Dewenter I, Cunningham SA, Kremen C, Tscharntke T | title = Importance of pollinators in changing landscapes for world crops | journal = Proceedings. Biological Sciences | volume = 274 | issue = 1608 | pages = 303–313 | date = February 2007 | pmid = 17164193 | pmc = 1702377 | doi = 10.1098/rspb.2006.3721 }}</ref> which are plainly adapted to pollination. Bees typically are fuzzy and carry an [[electrostatic]] charge. Both features help pollen grains adhere to their bodies, but they also have specialized pollen-carrying structures; in most bees, this takes the form of a structure known as the [[Scopa (biology)|scopa]], which is on the hind legs of most bees, and/or the lower abdomen (e.g., of [[Megachilidae|megachilid]] bees), made up of thick, plumose [[seta]]e. [[Honey bee]]s, [[bumblebee]]s, and their relatives do not have a scopa, but the hind leg is modified into a structure called the corbicula (also known as the "[[pollen basket]]"). Most bees gather [[nectar]], a concentrated energy source, and pollen, which is high [[protein]] food, to nurture their young, and transfer some among the flowers as they are working.<ref>{{cite book| vauthors = Westbrook FE, Bergman PW, Wearne RA |title=Pollination and the Honey Bee|date=1975|publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office|location=Washington D.C.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gWwvAAAAYAAJ&q=bee+pollination|language=en}}</ref> [[Euglossini|Euglossine]] bees pollinate orchids, but these are male bees collecting floral scents rather than females gathering nectar or pollen. Female orchid bees act as pollinators, but of flowers other than orchids. [[Eusocial]] bees such as honey bees need an abundant and steady [[pollen source]] to multiply.

[[File:PrunusCerasifera0.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Honey bee]] pollinating a plum tree. Bees are the most effective insect pollinators.]]
Honey bees travel from flower to flower, collecting nectar (later converted to [[honey]]), and pollen grains. The bee collects the pollen by rubbing against the anthers. The pollen collects on the hind legs, in a structure referred to as a "pollen basket". As the bee flies from flower to flower, some of the pollen grains are transferred onto the stigma of other flowers. Nectar provides the energy for bee [[nutrition]]; pollen provides the [[protein]]. When bees are rearing large quantities of [[brood (honey bee)|brood]] (beekeepers say hives are "building"), bees deliberately gather pollen to meet the nutritional needs of the brood.

Good pollination management seeks to have bees in a "building" state during the bloom period of the crop, thus requiring them to gather pollen, and making them more efficient pollinators. Thus, the management techniques of a [[beekeeper]] providing pollination services are different from, and to some extent in tension with, those of a beekeeper who is trying to produce honey. Millions of [[Beehive (beekeeping)|hives]] of honey bees are [[contract]]ed out as pollinators by [[beekeeping|beekeepers]], and honey bees are by far the most important commercial pollinating agents, but many other kinds of pollinators, from blue bottle flies, to bumblebees, [[orchard mason bee]]s, and [[Alfalfa leafcutter bee|leaf cutter bees]] are cultured and sold for [[pollination management|managed pollination]].

Other species of bees differ in various details of their behavior and pollen-gathering habits, and honey bees are not native to the [[Western Hemisphere]]; all pollination of native plants in the Americas and Australia historically has been performed by various native bees. It has also been found that non-native plants may have positive effects on native bee pollinators while also influencing their foraging patterns and bee–plant networks.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Seitz |first1=Nicola |last2=vanEngelsdorp |first2=Dennis |last3=Leonhardt |first3=Sara D. |date=2020 |title=Are native and non-native pollinator friendly plants equally valuable for native wild bee communities? |journal=Ecology and Evolution |language=en |volume=10 |issue=23 |pages=12838–12850 |doi=10.1002/ece3.6826 |issn=2045-7758 |pmc=7713930 |pmid=33304497|bibcode=2020EcoEv..1012838S }}</ref>