To Bee Or Not To Bee

As everyone knows I lost one of my hives in June. Swarming was the culprate. I am content with the two I have, and am overloaded with chickens, gardens etc. etc.  Let's talk about bees and flowers. Flower colors that contrast with their background are more important to foraging bees than patterns of colored veins on pale flowers. Very few flowers are a simple block of a single color. Patterns of pigmentation include color patterns within a petal or different colors on different petals. These patterns are thought to be important for pollination. Bees can identify, and are sometimes attracted to , patterned flowers over plain flowers. These patterns can increase the speed with which bees locate the nectar reward in a flower. More on bees later.