Author Koh Lin ◦
The common little Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) are often seen flitting from flower to flower, doing their job collecting pollen and supping on the nectar. They are a joy to watch and photograph as they go about their business.
The honey bees are known as generalist foragers and can be seen visiting many different types of flowers to gather pollen and feeding on the nectar. Research on the honey bee show they are active in which flowering plant they choose to forage from. Where the honey bees are from managed hives, it is likely that the hives are positioned near specific plants (such as managed crops and orchards).
Here in Alice Springs we have seen them foraging on citrus, pomegranate, herbs (such as sweet basil), roses, Silverbush (Convolvulus cneorum), Sturt’s Desert Rose (Swainsona formosa), Acacia, Eremophila, eucalypts and even the flowers of water lilies from fish ponds (see our page Apis mellifera — Captured flora moments).
