The flower opens at sunup and pollen shedding occurs at once, the pollen accumulating between the anthers and stigma. The value of peanut flowers to bees is not clear. Pollen is collected by honey bees although peanut plants are not considered to be a major pollen source by beekeepers. There is no doubt that peanuts are largely self-fertilized. The question is whether an increase in the set of seed is caused by cross-pollination.
Some selections have a structure that impedes selfing and facilitates cross-pollination by bees.
Also, their open plots produced a significant 6 to 11 percent more than plots caged to exclude bees. Culp et al. Shibuya et al. There seems to be no doubt that the peanut flowe may be cross- pollinated and that crossing is primarily by bees. Hammons et al.