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Most people know the story of the ‘birds and the bees’, but very few know that the story of ‘the flowers and the bees’ is a far more fascinating story with a hidden secret. God has given flowers the ability to ‘talk’ to bees to invite them to land and take some nectar, or to say, “Come back later, I am empty.”

I do not know any woman who does not appreciate the beauty and fragrance of flowers, especially when they are given to her by someone who loves her. We all know too that bees also love flowers.

The amazing variety of flowers that God has made has always intrigued me. People have propagated various types of flowers to enhance certain features such as size, colour, shape, shelf life, hardiness, resistance to disease and pests, etc. But until recently, there has not been a great deal of interest in how to enhance their attractiveness to bees.

With more recent concerns about pesticides and pollution killing off the world’s bee population, there has been more thought about how flowers can be made more attractive to bees.

Jesus talked about the beauty of flowers that God has made; how they have a splendour that is beyond that of Solomon.

“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labour or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendour was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will He not much more clothe you — you of little faith?” (Matthew 6:28-30)

Amazing

Most people look at the visible characteristics of flowers, such as colour, size, shape, patterns, geometry, sheen, reflectiveness, softness, perfume, and more, to assess the flower. However, biological sciences examine aspects that are invisible to the naked eye or other senses.

For many years, a hidden secret has been known about flowers that did not get much attention, but has recently received more publicity. This secret answers why bees fly past some flowers that are bright, colourful, and smell beautiful, to land on a flower further away, even if it is not as attractive as the closer ones.

David Attenborough has a concise video clip revealing this secret. He expounds on some discoveries made by scientists regarding how flowers and bees communicate.

While I do not stand in agreement with David Attenborough’s theological or natural history position, I do respect him as one who is thorough when investigating what he refers to as ‘the natural order’, and which I refer to as the awesome wonders of what God has created.

David Attenborough starts by describing the electrical charge of plants. “The taller the plant, the greater the electrical charge that the plant has.” The charge is a negative electrical charge.

Bees, on the other hand, have a positive electrical charge. As a bee approaches a flower, it can sense the negative charge of the flower if it has not been visited by another bee recently. The flower ‘tells’ the bee if it has plenty of nectar for it to collect.

The different electrical charge between the flower and the bee is the ‘language’ that God has given to flowers and bees to communicate with each other.

As the bee lands on the flower to fill itself with nectar, the negatively charged pollen jumps onto the positively charged bee and sticks to it, allowing the bee to take extra pollen to fertilise other flowers or to take back to the hive.

The more the bee massages the flower, the more nectar the flower supplies for the bee to collect, and the more pollen sticks to the bee. The pollen on the bee is then rubbed off onto the next flower the bee lands on to pollinate the next flower.

Once the bee collects the pollen and flies away back to the nest, the flower has a neutral electrical charge for some time. This means that the next bee that comes along will not be attracted to that flower. It is like the flower says, “I am empty now, come back later.”

Blessed Assurance

God has designed flowers and bees to ‘talk’ to each other in the language of an electrical charge. This is another one of the intricate details that God has built into His creation that are hidden from the vast majority of people.

The more we search God’s creation, the more we can see the wonder and the beauty of what God has made. The book of Proverbs tells us, “It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, But the glory of kings is to search out a matter.” (Proverbs 25:2), and God has ‘concealed’ so much that we are yet to ‘search out’ and discover.

For me, every amazing thing I discover, enhances my understanding of the God in whom I put my trust and faith. The more I see of His creation, the greater the understanding I have of His Word, His grace, and His attention to detail.

I am reminded of what Jesus said when He called us not to worry. Jesus said, “Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins? And not one of them is forgotten before God. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.” (Luke 12:6-7) God is amazing, and we can trust Him. What He says in His Word is trustworthy.

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Image courtesy of Adobe.