- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Published on: September 18, 2014
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 nectar—this is "nectar robbing" or bypassing pollination—you may have seen a honey bee come along and sip nectar from the hole. Why work hard to get at the nectar when it's right there for the taking?
This is the insect version of a convenience market!
Take the foxgloves (family Plantaginaceae, genus Digitalis). Sometimes you'll see a honey bee trailing or shadowing a carpenter bee that moves from corolla to corolla.
Short cut to the nectar!
Tags: carpenter bee (24), foxgloves (8), honey bee (234), nectar robbing (3), Valley carpenter bee (17)
Comments: 2
I'm a new Master Gardener from Solano County and I just wanted to let you know how much I love reading Bug Squad. I had no idea when I started the Master Gardener course that Bugs would become my passion. But, they have. I've gradually been changing my entire garden to become a pollinator garden. :-) I saw an article on Facebook this morning and thought you might find it very interesting. Here is the link. It's about Bees. http://www.treehugger.com/sustainable-product-design/worlds-oldest-beehive-discovered-in-scottish-chapel.html
I hope you enjoy it. Thanks for all of your wonderful articles.
I'm a new Master Gardener from Solano County and I just wanted to let you know how much I love reading Bug Squad. I had no idea when I started the Master Gardener course that Bugs would become my passion. But, they have. I've gradually been changing my entire garden to become a pollinator garden. :-) I saw an article on Facebook this morning and thought you might find it very interesting. Here is the link. It's about Bees. http://www.treehugger.com/sustainable-product-design/worlds-oldest-beehive-discovered-in-scottish-chapel.html
I hope you enjoy it. Thanks for all of your wonderful articles.