why do bees collect pollen on their legs
1 Bees carry pollen on their hind legs called a pollen basket. 2  Pollen is a source of protein for the hive and is needed to feed to the baby bees to help them grow. 3  A beehive in summer can have as many as 50,000 to 80,000 bees.4  A bee must collect nectar from about 2 million flowers to make 1 pound of honey. The bees use their honeycomb cells to raise their babies in, and to store nectar, honey, pollen and water. 2  Nectar is a sweet watery substance that the bees gather. 3  After they process the nectar in their stomach they regurgitate it into the honeycomb cells. 4  Then they fan with their wings to remove excess moisture.