Pollen hitches a ride on bees in all the right spots

Hard-to-groom zones line up with where flower reproductive parts touch the insects

pollen on a bee under UV light

MISSED A SPOT  After bees groom pollen off their bodies, there’s still some left over (illuminated here under ultraviolet light). These overlooked areas correspond to places where flowers’ reproductive parts come in contact with the bees, a new study shows.

P. Wester

Bee bodies may be built just right to help pollen hitch a ride between flowers.