Carpenter Bee Pollinates Passion Fruit Flower

Carpenter Bee Pollinates Passion Fruit Flower. A large carpenter bee pollinates the large passion fruit flowers on the vines.

Carpenter Bee Pollinates Passion Fruit Flower.

The large beautiful frilly passion fruit flowers need large bees such as the carpenter bee to pollinate the flowers.

As the flowers nectar is at the base of the purple Carona, (which represents the crown of thorns, around Jesus head) See all about the flowers components and what they symbolize on this link here. Passion fruit flower components symbolize.

The pollen is held on the 5 stamens that is quit a distance from where a bee will be obtaining its nectar. Then above that is the 3 Styles which should receive the pollen to grow the passion fruit. Now one can see why large bees need to pollinate these flowers.

The above photo shows a carpenter bee on the passion fruit flower, obtaining nectar. She fits between the purple flower component (carona) and the pollen stamens.

This bee takes a while to forage the nectar and you will always here her coming.

She has a loud buzz, therefore you can see her and know where she is.

We do hand pollination on these flowers as they only open in the mid afternoon and most close by the morning. The ones that do stay open the next day has very dry pollen stamens. Therefore its very crucial to do pollination once they are open. This way hand pollination will increase the production of fruit by at least 70%.

We found this to be very beneficial on our first harvest of fruit as the vines are only a year old now and they will start to produce flowers. But not that many at once, and that’s why we hand pollinate.

Always leaving a lot of pollen on the flowers. For honey bees and other bees, to collect for food for their young.

With the photo above do you notice how the large carpenter bee fits between the pollen stamens and the purple and frilly white carona. Collecting all the pollen on the top of her head and upper abdomen.

The photo above shows all that pollen that was collected on her furry upper body and head. This way when she goes up to fly away the pollen should get rubbed off on those 3 green styles that is then pollinated and in the middle is the ovaries. The fruit will grow from these as soon as the flower closes.

There are other bees like honey bees foraging on these flowers as well. But they don’t get near the pollination stamens. I have noticed that the honey bee collects the pollen. She also goes under the frill white and purple carona to obtain some nectar. (will do a separate post on the honey bee)

The passion (maracuya in spanish ) fruit vines are now a year old and will start producing some flowers but normally there should be plenty more flowers. We are expecting this to happen. Then the bees will be attracted to the flowers a lot more. The passion fruit flowers do have a soft aroma.

Such beautiful flowers and have very religious symbols for all their flower components.

Also view the fruit and learn about the Pollination of passion fruit flowers.

Click on the bold link to view them.