A Wasp Short Cut to Nectar

Short Green Tongue

Many of our native bees have long tongues to reach the nectar in tubular flowers. These include Bumble Bees, Carpenter Bees and Miner Bees.

They travel up long tubed flowers reach the nectar sources with their tongues then back out of the flower to move on to the next.

While watching mason wasps in the garden last week, they seemed to be really attracted to our Hairy Beardtongue (Penstemon hirsutus) but did not attempt to crawl up the flower. Instead they were landing on top.

On closer inspection, I realized that they were chewing a hole through the flower with their powerful mandibles to reach the nectar at the top of the flower.

As it turns out, the majority of the flowers on my Hairy Beadtongue plants have holes in them.

What an ingenious and easy short cut.

Have you seen this behavior before?