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LinkedInPosts Tagged: nectar robbing
Short Cut
We all take shortcuts. We look for the shortest line at the supermarket, we use keyboard shortcuts, and we text ”how r u?” So, why shouldn't honey bees use shortcuts? They do. If you've ever watched a carpenter bee drill a hole in the corolla of a tubed flower to get at the...
A honey bee sipping nectar from a hole drilled by a carpenter bee on a foxglove. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A Valley carpenter bee about to drill a hole. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
I've Been Robbed!
Bees need flowers that correspond to their body size and tongue length in order to effectively access the nectary located at the flower base, so a well-designed bee garden includes plants that provide a variety of flower shapes and sizes. Small bees with short tongues, for example, need...
Two Nectar Robbers
You've probably seen carpenter bees engage in the practice known as "nectar robbing." Due to their large size, they cannot enter tubelike blossoms such as salvia (sage), so they slit the base of the corolla. They rob the nectar without pollinating the flower. But have you ever seen a honey bee...
Carpenter Bee Robbing Nectar
Honey Bee Robbing Nectar
