Bee Pollen Leg – A Fascinating Study Of How The Bees Work With Their Legs
Bee pollen leg has nothing to do with the effects it has on your leg but rather on how the bees use their legs when depositing the pollen on their return to the hive.
This is basically what happens. Once the bee enters the hive, there is usually a small trap which can scrape off any of the pollen that she may have on her legs. But the majority of the pollen has to be deposited within the hive. She is also carrying on her legs what is called the bee pollen basket, also known as the corbicula.
She is looking for a suitable worker cell to unload the pollen. She uses her middle and hind legs to enter the cell. She then curves her body and take out the pellets with her two front legs and then deposits them into the cell. She then leaves to get another load.
Watch the video of how a bee uses her legs in gathering pollen
Storing and packing techniques
While she is away, another bee may come along and starts to pack the pollen deposited away quite neatly which she does with her head. In the process, the pollen is moisturized with honey or water or a mixture of both. The remainder of the cell is filled with honey and the cell is sealed. It is true that the pollen is stored in the worker cells and never those occupied by the drones.
Beekeepers generally are of the opinion that the worker cells are smaller and lead to more efficient storage than the cells of the drone which are larger. But nobody is absolutely sure about this.
A supplement powerhouse
Let us look now at what is actually in the pollen rather than worrying about the gymnastics involved in bee pollen leg movements! It is fascinating to read old documents on beekeeping. One dates back to 1856 when a certain Dr, Hunter dissected some very young bees and found that they had been fed only with bee pollen and not honey.
This proves the very highly nutritious value of the pollen and we can now begin to understand why it has labelled the ‘food of the kings’ This was the name given to it by Homer when describing it in the Iliad.
Now that we have seen what the remarkable nutritious value of bee pollen has, plus its anti inflammatory properties, why not find out more about how it can be processed into capsules for ease of use. Instead of thinking too much about bee pollen leg exercises, find out how you can get your hands on this food of the kings!
