Insecticides, and other pesticides and herbicides have been linked to a dramatic decline in bee populations by multiple studies. But the recent legalization of hemp in the United States and in many countries around the world seems to be having a very positive effect on multiple bee populations.
The latest research, conducted by Cornell University researchers found that bees are highly attracted to cannabis because of the plant’s plentiful amounts of pollen.
The findings are unusual. Cannabis doesn’t produce the sweet nectar found in typical floral varieties that attract insects. It would seem as though bees simply know that hemp is an excellent source of food.
The pollen produced by the male plant’s flowers (the female plant is the one loved by humans) is very attractive to the 16 bee subspecies of the study for reasons which are still unknown.
Also, as a late-season crop blooming during a time of regular botanical deficiency, hemp may have an especially solid potential to to feed the bees through winter and enhance pollinator populations.
Source: The Mind Unleashed
[https://themindunleashed.com/2020/01/bees-absolutely-love-cannabis-and-it-could-help-restore-their-populations.html](https://themindunleashed.com/2020/01/bees-absolutely-love-cannabis-and-it-could-help-restore-their-populations.html)
[https://academic.oup.com/ee/advance-article/doi/10.1093/ee/nvz141/5634339](https://academic.oup.com/ee/advance-article/doi/10.1093/ee/nvz141/5634339)