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 come along and enter the very spot of a corolla that a carpenter bee has pierced?

We saw a honey bee do just that at the UC Davis Arboretum last weekend.