This is far from National Geographic video quality, but it does show the intimate relationship between the bee and the flower. The bee lands on the flower petals, spreads out the lower ones, then triggers the pollen release possibly by pushing something with it’s head…I couldn’t see that part, but when it happens, it’s sudden and strong, like an explosion.
May 3…Here’s a pretty variegated Scotch Broom (Cytisus scoparius). You can tell that a bee has been there , because the stamen have already popped up.
Pollen Alert…bee has triggered a pollen shower, stamen pop up and rub anthers on her back.
This bee has learned well how to trigger the pollen release as can be seen by the amount of pollen on herself.
I shot this video to show what our bees are doing when they leave the hive. It may surprise you. 🙂
Adventures in Natural Beekeeping 
This is an amazing video and certainly not one I would,swap a Nat Geog for. This one lets you feel your love and respect for those bees you care for. Good Beeing to you and yours.
Great photographs and video! It looks as if the bees were taking the nectar first and got the pollen from the flower whether they wanted it or not! Something I now want to add to my hedging! I already have Spanish broom but that flowers much later. You have made me think more about the brooms, Coronilla and gorse. Although the gorse is not for the garden it flowers some right through the year here so it must be a very valuable winter source of pollen for them. Amelia
Yes, I think I too will plant some broom. I remember bees liking it from my childhood growing up in Dundee. Also reblogging as I really like this. Dave
Reblogged this on Cambridge Aromatherapy and Massage and commented:
Really liked this and it reminded me of seeing bees on Broom as a child.Original is here. https://solarbeez.com/2015/05/10/bees-on-broom-scotch-broom/#comment-10969
[…] Really liked this and it reminded me of seeing bees on Broom as a child.Original is here. https://solarbeez.com/2015/05/10/bees-on-broom-scotch-broom/#comment-10969 […]
Wowee! One thing I am confused about – with the bees on the Scotch Broom, the pollen in their pollen baskets looks orange, yet the pollen on their backs looks bright yellow. How come?
Yes, that’s a good question…I was puzzled about that too. Maybe when the pollen grains get pressed together it changes color. I did see the bees grooming themselves from time to time, but it was so windy it was difficult to observe.
Yes, could be… sometimes they add a little bit of nectar to the pollen in the baskets to pack it in more efficiently, so perhaps the slight wetness from that contributes to the orangeness. Even so, the difference in colour is surprising.
It’s fascinating to watch the bees at work like this and to see them exploiting the different parts of the flower.
I saw some bees try their upmost to get the flower to ‘pop up,’ but it wasn’t happening. This one particular bee spread out the petals with her front legs but they kept resisting. I think the trip mechanism is where the nectar source is. That said, I’ve read that broom doesn’t give out nectar.
Another of natures wonders, great to watch and I love your enthusiasm, lucky bees having you around.
Just for reference, Scotch broom is an aggressive invasive plant in the northwest, so planting it is not a good idea.
That is so very true. I don’t know where it came from, but I DO know where gorse came from. (Some people confuse the yellow gorse blossom with the yellow Scotch Broom blossom.) Gorse came from Ireland. “Lord Bennett” brought it over from Bandon, Ireland. In 1873, he brought the town’s name and the also the very invasive gorse. Scotch Broom is a different story, though. According to Wikipedia, The flower and the parts that grow above the ground are used as medicine. Despite serious safety concerns, Scotch broom is used for heart problems including fluid retention (edema), poor circulation, low blood pressure, fast heartbeat, and irregular heartbeat.