Pollen

[Larry Bees]

When bees bring pollen into the hive, how does it get put into the cells?

Does the bee bringing it in do it or does one of the bees in the hive take it from that bee and deposit it in the cell?

Larry

[FRAMEshift]

The bee that collects the pollen takes it all the way to the storage cell and packs it in.  

The behavior of individual bees is so complex that we can almost believe they are intelligent as individuals.  But their behavior is actually a long chain of pre-programmed conditioned responses.  If a bee bringing in pollen is made to go through a screen that scrapes off  the pollen, the bee will still proceed to the storage cell and go through the motions of removing the pollen from its baskets and then using its feet to pack down the non-existent pollen.  

Individual bees are not intelligent.  A colony of bees on the other hand is very intelligent.

[Michael Bush]

To put it all in order, the bee rolls in the pollen at the flower.  Combs off the pollen grains with it's back legs, mixes it with nectar that the bee has inoculated with various bacteria (mostly Lactose Bacillus but a few Glucobactors as well) and yeasts and fungi which will ferment it into bee bread and make it digestible.  It forms this into a pellet and puts the pellet in it's baskets on it's legs.  When arriving at the place to put it, it is popped out of the basket, which a bee can do by herself (unlike propolis which is also carried in the same baskets but require assistance to remove) and after placing it in the pollen cell it is packed by head butting it.

[Larry Bees]

Thanks for the answers! Larry