• Skip to main content
  • Skip to header right navigation
  • Skip to after header navigation
  • Skip to site footer
The Greenway Foundation

The Greenway Foundation

Revitalizing Rivers. Reconnecting Communities.

  • About Us
    • Our History
    • Our Team
    • Project Map
    • Employment
    • Blog
    • Annual Report
    • Contact Us
  • SPREE
    • Elementary
      • Excursions (Field Trips)
        • Preschool SPREE Field Trip
        • Kindergarten SPREE Field Trip
        • First Grade SPREE Field Trip
        • Second Grade SPREE Field Trip
        • Third Grade SPREE Field Trip
        • Fourth Grade SPREE Field Trip
        • Fifth Grade SPREE Field Trip
      • Camps
        • Summer Camp
        • School Break Camp
    • Middle School
      • Leaders In Training
    • High School
      • River Rangers
      • Greenway Leadership Corps
    • Families
      • Family Events
      • Camps
        • Summer Camp
        • School Break Camp
      • Just for Kids
  • Stewardship
    • Clean Water Challenge
    • Nautilus
    • Gutter Bins
    • Volunteer
    • Barb Biggs Memorial Scholarship Fund
  • Events
    • Calendar
    • Family Events
    • Stewardship Events
    • CROSSCURRENTS
    • Reception on the River
    • Gala on the Bridge
  • Give
  • SPREE
  • Elementary
    • Excursions (Field Trips)
      • Preschool (ECE)
      • Kindergarten
      • First Grade
      • Second Grade
      • Third Grade
      • Fourth Grade
      • Fifth Grade
      • Field Trip Signup
      • Field Trip Feedback
    • Camps
      • Summer Camp
      • School Break Camp
    • Scholarships
  • Middle School
    • Leaders In Training
  • High School
    • River Rangers
    • Greenway Leadership Corps
  • Families
    • Family Events
    • Camps
      • Summer Camp
      • School Break Camp
    • Just for Kids
    • Scholarships

Honey Bees

PictureCheck out that pollen basket!

As we celebrate our two week long #VirtualStewardshipDay, do you know who else is a steward of pollination (Hint…Hint…they are known to be pollinators)? HONEY BEES or more specific, Honey Worker Bees! These little insects can be found near any bright-colored plants. Their job is to collect nectar and pollen from flowers. They gather pollen and place on their hind legs. This collection is called a pollen basket or the scientific term corbicula.As they forage from flower to flower, pollen is deposited onto the new flower, allowing that flower to reproduce. Not only does the worker bees depend on the flowers, but the flowers also depend on them! Without working honey bees, there would not be as many diverse flowers.


Worker bees also collect nectar to create that delicious honey that we all love. When they collect nectar, they will use their tiny tongue and drink the nectar from the flower into their honey stomach. They will not return to the hive until that stomach is full. Once they are ready to return to the hive, they have to spit up the nectar and pack it with the remaining pollen into a single honeycomb. Now they sit and wait….and voilà …honey! For 1lb of honey, it will take 10,000 bees, traveling 75,000 miles to about 8,000,000 flowers – this is a team effort!​Working as a team requires communication. Now, bees cannot talk to each other like humans, but they can dance or waggle! When a worker bee dances/waggles, they waggle in a figure-eight formation, indicating which direction to go for more food.

Picture

Blue Grape Hyacinth
Picture

To help support #VirtualStewardshipDay, you can plant flowers such as Phlox, Mint, Sage, or Lavender. One of the regions with the most plant diversity is along the river corridor. Head down to the South Platte and see if you can find any honey bees there!
Additional Information added October 2023:

Pollinators, such as butterflies, birds, and bees, help grow 75% of the world’s food supply. Unfortunately, the destruction of native vegetation to make space for humans is threatening many pollinator populations, placing their long-term survival in jeopardy.

Thankfully, we can help keep bees buzzing by creating an attractive habitat for them in our own backyards. My team with Architectural Digest Reviews created a comprehensive guide detailing how to create a pollinator sanctuary, along with organizations that support pollinators.

How to Create a Pollinator Garden in 7 Steps:
https://www.architecturaldigest.com/reviews/lawn/how-to-create-a-pollinator-garden

Sources:

  • https://thehoneybeeconservancy.org/plant-a-bee-garden/
  • https://bees.techno-science.ca/english/bees/pollination/default.php
  • https://animals.net/honey-bee/
  • https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2017/11/honey-bees-fill-saddlebags-pollen-here-s-how-they-keep-them-gripped-tight
  • https://beesneeds.colorado.edu/introtonativebees.html
  • https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bee_waggle_dance.png
Published: April 25, 2020
Category: SPREETag: Animals
The Greenway Foundation

About The Greenway Foundation

The Greenway Foundation is a Denver-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Since 1974, we have been leading efforts to reclaim the South Platte River and its tributaries from a virtual cesspool to a place of environmental and recreational pride. Learn More

Previous Post:DIY Dog Bag Holder
Next Post:Art on the River: Curbside Pickup Recap

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Roxy

    April 29, 2020 at 6:16 am

    Thanks for sharing this article. It was informative. I am also writing a blog on places to travel around the world. Maybe you can check it out.

Sidebar

Current News

The Power of Environmental Education in Young Learners

When young children explore nature, they’re doing more than just playing — they’re building critical thinking skills, growing empathy, and developing a lasting connection to the world around them. Environmental …

More Blog Posts

SPREE Summer Camp Week 1: June 9-13 2025, Special Agent Training!

GLC Takes Aim at Adventure: Archery, Wildlife & Weather at Barr Lake

Young Professionals Kick Off Earth Day Season

Event Recap: Teens Took Action at Johnson Habitat Park! 

Blog Categories

Blog Archive

  • 2025
  • 2024
  • 2023
  • 2022
  • 2021
  • 2020
  • 2019
  • 2018
  • 2017
  • 2016
  • 2015
  • 2014

The Greenway Foundation

1820 Platte Street, Denver, CO 80202

info@greenwayfoundation.org

303.481.1974

FEIN: 51-0193575

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • Vimeo
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
1% for the Planet Nonprofit Partner
About Us
SPREE
Stewardship
Projects
Events
DONATE TODAY
SIGN UP FOR OUR EMAIL LIST
CONTACT US

Copyright © 2025 · The Greenway Foundation · All Rights Reserved