Tatty Yellow Pollen

[Cussword]

As above I couldn't get a picture. Quite a few workers are bringing in a yellow pollen that is hanging from their legs.

Any ideas?

 

[beeno]

Hi Cussword,
Remember being lectured on this and that honey bees can get entangled in these types of pollen threads.
"Note the stringy mass (mess) of pollen hanging below the hind legs of the bee," Thorp points out. "Honey bees have great difficulty in collecting (actually packing into their corbiculae) pollen from any large flowered species of Oenothera. The pollen grains are very large, more than 100 microns, and tied together with viscin threads to form a webby mass.

 

[Roola]

I believe as well that Hollyhocks can also do this with the bees, bees move on to the last flowering hollyhocks at this time of year (normally ignore them during the plentiful months ) and the tatty boll gets everywhere.

 

[masterBK]

Most probably evening primrose as I have seen pollen hanging like this from the hing legs of my bees are working this plant in my garden and on plants growing on edges of abandoned sand quarries near my out apiary.

 

[Cussword]

Thanks all, I was just a little confused when I saw it.