At 08:03 AM 4/22/2007, you wrote:
>On another bee discussion list the question has come up as to whether or not roses are a source of nectar and/or pollen. Looked in the archives and didn't see any reference to such. What is your opinion or experience in this?
I have frequently seen them foraging on wild roses. These have very simple flowers with few petals. Only once have I ever seen them foraging on cultured roses with their complex layers of many petals. This occurred very late in the season when there was virtually nothing else blooming. It looked like they had a great deal of trouble crawling in between petals to try and gather any nectar (assuming they produce any).
-Tim
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