Bees and other pollinators are the primary drivers of cross-pollination in lavender. Their behavior directly facilitates the transfer of genetic material between different lavender plants. Here's how they contribute:
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Bring the lavender idea from this article into your home with these Island Lavender favorites.
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Attraction to Nectar and Pollen:
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Visual Cues: Lavender flowers, particularly in shades of purple, blue, and white, are visually attractive to bees and butterflies.
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Olfactory Cues (Scent): The strong, pleasing fragrance of lavender, primarily due to compounds like linalool, acts as a powerful attractant for a wide range of pollinators. Bees, in particular, are highly drawn to this scent.
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Nectar and Pollen Rewards: Lavender flowers are rich in both nectar (a sugary liquid providing energy) and pollen (a protein source). Pollinators visit the flowers to collect these vital resources for themselves and their colonies.
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Pollen Collection and Transfer:
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When a bee lands on a lavender flower to collect nectar or pollen, tiny pollen grains from the anthers (the male part of the flower) stick to the hairs on its body. Bees have specialized branched and sticky hairs on their bodies, and some, like honeybees, have "pollen baskets" (corbiculae) on their hind legs to pack and transport pollen.
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As the bee moves from one flower to another, or from one plant to another, some of the pollen it collected inadvertently rubs off onto the stigma (the receptive female part of the flower) of the new flower.
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If this pollen is from a different lavender plant (either a different variety of the same species or a compatible different species), cross-pollination occurs.
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Foraging Behavior and Efficiency:
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Flower Constancy: Bees often exhibit "flower constancy" or "floral fidelity," meaning they tend to visit flowers of the same species or type during a single foraging trip, even if other flowers are available. This behavior makes them incredibly efficient cross-pollinators within a lavender field or garden, as they are less likely to carry pollen from, say, a rose to a lavender, but very likely to carry pollen from one lavender plant to another.
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Rapid Visitation: Bees are fast and efficient foragers. They can visit thousands of flowers in a single outing, rapidly transferring pollen as they go. Studies have shown bumblebees can spend 1.1 to 1.4 seconds per flower, while honey bees take about 3.5 seconds. Multiplied by hundreds or thousands of flowers, this amounts to significant pollen transfer.
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Foraging Range: Bees can travel considerable distances from their hive or nest to forage. Honeybees, for example, can travel up to 6.5 miles (about 10 km) from their hive, though most foraging occurs much closer (within 1-2 miles). This range means that different lavender varieties, even if separated by some distance in a garden or between properties, can still be subject to cross-pollination.
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Promoting Genetic Diversity:
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By facilitating cross-pollination, bees play a crucial role in promoting genetic diversity within lavender populations. This diversity is vital for the long-term health and resilience of the plant species, allowing it to adapt to changing environmental conditions, pests, and diseases.
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It's also how new natural hybrids (like the Lavandins) arise, providing new genetic material that plant breeders can then select and develop into new cultivars.
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In essence, bees and other pollinators act as the essential delivery service for lavender pollen. Drawn by the irresistible allure of lavender, they unwittingly pick up and distribute pollen, ensuring the plant's reproductive cycle and facilitating the genetic mixing that results in cross-pollination and the creation of new genetic combinations in subsequent generations of lavender plants grown from seed.
Lavender Farm in Door County Wisconsin. You can buy lavender products online at islandlavender.com