Posts 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...

A honey bee sipping nectar from a hole drilled by a carpenter bee on a foxglove. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

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)

A Valley carpenter bee about to drill a hole. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

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...

Carpenter Bee Robbing Nectar

CARPENTER BEE (Xylocopa tabaniformis orpifex) robs nectar from a salvia (sage) by slitting the corolla. A carpenter bee is too big to enter the tubelike blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Honey Bee Robbing Nectar

A HONEY BEE sips nectar from a corolla pierced by a carpenter bee. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

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