Sep 9, 2009
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.
Maybe this UC Davis bee was "smarter" than the average bee?
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Attached Images:
![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) 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)](https://ucanr.edu/blogs/bugsquad/blogfiles/2450.jpg)
Carpenter Bee Robbing Nectar
![A HONEY BEE sips nectar from a corolla pierced by a carpenter bee. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey) A HONEY BEE sips nectar from a corolla pierced by a carpenter bee. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)](https://ucanr.edu/blogs/bugsquad/blogfiles/2451.jpg)
Honey Bee Robbing Nectar