The cunning perfume-makers of Mexico

The Bucket Orchids (Coryanthes sp.), found in Central and South America, have a unique way of ensuring cross- pollination of their flowers. The Bucket Orchids have all the usual parts of a flower such as anthers that make pollen and stigmas to receive pollen, but are also unusually shaped, to ensure that their main pollinators— the male bees of the Euglossine tribe, commonly called the Orchid bees— carry the pollen with them as they leave the flower.

The Bucket Orchid and the Orchid bees are said to have evolved together, thus developing a mechanism of mutual dependency called Mutualism. The Euglossine bees are not ‘eusocial’, i.e., living in a honeycomb with organized hierarchy like the common honeybee we know- they are more solitary, and most species are coloured in brilliant metallic hues of green, gold and blue.

The male orchid bees have uniquely modified hind legs with sponge-like cavities which are used to collect and store fragrant, volatile compounds from the orchid flowers. The bees release the fragrances during courtship dances and mating to attract females.

As the male bees try to collect the aromatic oils of the flower, they fall into the bucket-shaped, fluid filled structure of the flower. Their wet wings and the slippery sides of the compartment form a prison for the bees, with just one way out— a spout-like narrow escape tunnel with bee-sized footholds.

It takes 30-45 minutes for the bees to climb out to safety, and as they squeeze themselves out through the narrow opening, the flower deposits its pollen on the bee’s thorax. When the bee visits another flower to replenish its fragrance stock, it deposits the pollen on the stigma of the second flower, thus ensuring cross- pollination.

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“Hurry up, Roberto!” Eduardo called. “That’s enough of preening. I’m sure you’re the most handsome of the bees there”, he added sarcastically, buzzing around the small pool in an impatient circle.
“Coming, coming”, replied Roberto, as he looked at his reflection in the water for one last time, and flew off to join Eduardo.

“I wonder if Alicia will look at me today or not”, pondered Eduardo as they went on their way, their wings buzzing. “Why shouldn’t she?” replied Roberto. “She speaks well enough to me!”

“I tried speaking to her yesterday. I only wanted to ask her if she would dance with me today but she just turned her nose up at me and went away.”

“Well, today she won’t”, said Roberto firmly. “Come with me now, let me show you a secret.”“Is it magic?” asked Eduardo hopefully. “I don’t think anything short of magic can make Alicia like me!”

“I suppose you could call it that”, said Roberto. “Follow me!”Roberto changed direction, and buzzed away deeper into the forests.

“Hey, wait for me!” panted Eduardo as he struggled to keep up. They soon came upon a clearing, with tall trees all around, and their branches forming a canopy above. The air was filled with a sweet smell that almost dulled the bees’ senses.

“Aah!” exclaimed Roberto. “Can you smell that wonderful fragrance?”

“Of course I can”, said Eduardo. “But where is it coming from? I can only see grass down here. No flowers anywhere!”

“You’re supposed to look up, Mister, not down”, said Roberto. “Here, I present to you, the skilled perfume makers of Mexico!”

Eduardo looked up, and he saw hundreds of orchids growing on the branches of the tall trees, giving off their heady fragrance in the midday heat.

He could also see a few other bees buzzing away near some of the orchid flowers, while throwing furtive looks in his and Roberto’s direction.

“Now it’s time to become smart!” announced Roberto, and taking Eduardo with him, landed on the lip of a strange bucket shaped orchid flower, which had a strong fragrance wafting up. Inside the bucket-like structure, Eduardo could see a pool of water.

“Dab some of this perfume on yourself”, he said confidently. “I’m sure it will help. Alicia will definitely dance with you today.”

Eduardo laughed. “You mean this really works?”

Roberto looked offended. “Of course, it does”, he said, quite annoyed at his friend’s scepticism. “At least, for us bees it does.

I have seen some of those idiotic humans wandering around almost drenched in perfume, not realizing that it doesn’t work for them that way. And what terrible smelling perfume at that! It’s no wonder the women aren’t impressed.”

Eduardo still looked doubtful. Finally, he agreed. “No harm in trying it out, I suppose”, he said at last.

“Good. Look, there’s a waxy substance there which you have to take and store in the pouches of your hind legs”, said Roberto, bending over. “Now all you have to do is—”,Splash!

Roberto had bent far too much and had fallen right into the water-filled bucket of the flower!

“Roberto!” called Eduardo, quite alarmed. “Are you alright?”

“Yes, yes I am. Just give me a hand up, will ya?” called back Roberto.

“Now you’re all drenched like the humans you spoke of”, said Eduardo, laughing hard.

Roberto made a face. “Ha ha, very funny. Now are you going to help me up or not?”

But no sooner did Eduardo try to help him than he slipped too! With a splash, he landed in the bucket pool of the orchid, right beside Roberto.

“Now you’re drenched too!” snorted Roberto, as Eduardo spluttered in the water.

Eduardo tried to shake off the water droplets and spread his wings, but his wings felt wet and heavy. The bees looked around their flower “prison”.

Brown hairs that pointed downwards could be seen on all the walls around, and no matter how hard Roberto tried to climb them, he slipped back into the water again.

It was quite by chance that Eduardo found the ladder. “Hey look”, we could climb up this way!” A series of tiny footholds, just large enough for the bees, was found leading up to a tunnel. A little bit of sunlight seemed to stream in from the other end of the tunnel.

“We could get out this way!” said Eduardo, as he began climbing up the ‘ladder’. Roberto followed him. It was tough, and it took a long time for the two to reach the other end of the tunnel, but they managed it.

With great difficulty, Eduardo pressed against the narrow opening, which seemed to grow narrower as he tried to force his way out. At last he burst out, thankful to be back in the open air. His wings had dried up too.

Roberto followed him, grumbling. “Phooey! Just look at all this pollen on me”, he cried as he came out. “All that grooming for nothing.”

“The smell of that wax seems to have worn out too”, said Eduardo gloomily. “It seems like we’ll have to go to some other flower again to get the perfume.”

So the bees made their way to the next flower, this time both heading for different flowers, because Roberto felt that a bee too many made the whole process difficult.

After almost three quarters of an hour, both bees emerged triumphant, smelling as good as the fragrant orchids, smiling gleefully.

“All that trouble was worth it”, said Roberto as he buzzed away to the dance venue. “We smell so good, don’t we? I’m sure the girls will swoon.”

“These flowers are foolish too”, sniggered Eduardo. “Giving such excellent stuff away for free. Anyway, that’s good for us!”

Laughing and talking, the bees flew away, happily looking forward to a lovely time.

The not-so-foolish flowers, the ones visited by Roberto and Eduardo, smiled to themselves. They had received the pollen of the first flower onto their stigmas, thanks to the bees. Quietly, they set about making seed pods that would create a whole new generation of orchid plants.