Carpenter Bee Feeding From Unusual Place - Mexican Petunia
Have I discovered something scientifically significant, I wonder? Is it normal for a bee to feed from BEHIND a flower?
Image © Diane Macdonald. All Rights Reserved.
This afternoon while in my garden and armed only with my iPhone to take pictures for @papa-pepper's Combination Photography Contest, I watched for about ten minutes as this bee (a carpenter bee, I think) flitted from flower head to flower head on these invasive Mexican petunia flowers, always feeding from the back of the flower, and always in exactly the same location! (Naturally, when I returned with my Canon 5D and macro lens, he had disappeared!)
Image © Diane Macdonald. All Rights Reserved.
Has he perhaps adapted through some fluke of nature to inserting his probe through the back of the flower? Never once did he enter a flower like all the other bees I see on these flowers. Has anyone ever seen anything like this? My search on the web for anything about it came up empty!
Image © Diane Macdonald. All Rights Reserved.
Not only is this interesting from the standpoint of the bee, but what about the bee as a pollinator? He was not collecting pollen on these feedings! In my mind the bee has always been an important pollinator, so although these flowers are invasive, I control them in a section of my garden which separates the lawn from a natural area of Florida woodland, because I like to think I am helping the pollinators.
Image © Diane Macdonald. All Rights Reserved.
Does anyone have any clues about this odd bee behavior? I'd love to hear from you if you have an explanation for this!
Camera Used: iPhone 6S Plus
Thanks for taking the time to read this! I appreciate it.
To find my blog posts, photography and designs on Steemit, please search on #dianemacphoto and to check out my art prints and stock images online, please visit my website.
Thanks Pixie, but can you solve the mystery about the bee? LOL
Nice post & amazing photos my dear friend Up&Resteem
Thanks @saqib!
My pleasure dear friend
Photography gives you the opportunity to use your sensibility and everything you are to say something about and be part of the world around you. In this way, you might discover who you are, and with a little luck, you might discover something much larger than yourself.
Now that is so true @smileplease!
Welcome border
This is very interesting, but I don't know why a bee would be doing this!
I thought it was rather odd too, but look what I found on Wikipedia, thanks to a comment on another post on Steemit by @acwood: - "Some bumblebees rob nectar, making a hole near the base of a flower to access the nectar while avoiding pollen transfer." Source - Wikipedia Who knew? I would not have believed it if I had not watched it with my own eyes!
robber bees....now that's a new one! they look very mean too - their colour so dark makes me wonder if they truly are bandits in their black hoodies and masks. :) I didn't detect a stinger so maybe he's okay "ish".
Good luck with the contest by the way.!
It's too funny! Bee bandits!
Here's a bit on Carpenter Bees, and "Robber" technique.
Apparently, size matters despite what some've been told. Carpenter Bees
Because of their size, Carpenter bees do tend to use the "robber" technique more so than most. particularly, with long tubular flowers, like your petunias.
I'm curious, do you see many Hummingbirds with these flowers?
I get a few at mine.
@dmcamera
It's very interesting, isn't it? I had no idea that this happened with bees! No, I have not noticed hummingbirds at the Mexican Petunia. They seem to prefer the red salvia.
Dear Diane, I can't help, as I'm amazed too! Mystery...
Meanwhile, check out this ;). Cheers, my friend!
I found out that the bees are "robbing" nectar, and I was not the first to discover it. LOL! I had never heard of it before, and certainly had not seen it! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nectar_robbing
nature is amazing. Who would have guessed? Thanks for the link, Diane!
You are welcome. It's good to learn new things!
Yes :))! Always!
And I am certainly learning lots while on Steemit! I love learning new things in all different areas.
Same here! Always learning, it's a blessing!
Looks like the Bee is feeding on the stem at the base of the flower. There must be a rich food liquid there. Just my guess. Your phone takes better pictures than my camera.
I found out that the bees are "robbing" nectar, and I was not the first to discover it. LOL! I had never heard of it before, and certainly had not seen it! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nectar_robbing
If I was a Bee that is what I would do, go right to the juice.
That's right! He has it all figured out!
I found out that the bees are "robbing" nectar, and I was not the first to discover it. LOL! I had never heard of it before, and certainly had not seen it! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nectar_robbing
The bee is "robbing" nectar as I guessed because it can't fit inside the flower:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nectar_robbing
You are exactly right. The bee takes the easy route. She's not a pollinator, just an egg layer, and puncturing the flower gives her the nectar to sustain life. I've seen Orioles do the same thing on a trumpet vine. I'm not sure exactly what type of bee it is, but I keep mason bees, and they're very different to honey bees. And "your" bee is not a honey bee!
Thanks! I have learned a lot. I'm pretty sure it is a carpenter bee.
Excellent shot