L ast week commented on how various insects took advantage of the table set involving strawberry flowers at this time, which is increasingly having fewer flowering plants, but there are still days I quite warm enough for the insects are active.
I was going to take pictures of these insects when I realized that many of the flower clusters were perforated corolla.
Most striking are undoubtedly the bees of the genus Bombus , with great concern ranging from one flower to another without letting me do the photos at home. I have to focus manually, because they are surrounded by objects that trick the auto focus and it does not stand still, get behind the bunch, come back, be placed on their backs or get scared if I go too. This is the only acceptable after many failures.
, however, I could see that their system suck the nectar is getting the peak of the natural opening of the corolla. As you are about to make this honey bee.
also found a small beetle that came and went through both the natural orifice of the flower as the holes made by the offender unknown.
I cut a bunch to watch more carefully and I was surprised that many flowers had beetles were inside whole or bitten. Were as suspicious but could not ensure that they were guilty.
were at least two different species and some, I must say that I feel very uneasy. Several species of flies
came also strawberry. Especially this great sirphid, almost perfect mimic of bees, which also has a habit of buzzing near my face when moving from flower to an attempt to scare me, I guess. These and other flies
noticed that sometimes took advantage of the holes already made to access the inside of the flower, but never do anything like it try to open the holes themselves.
Finally came two fat bumblebees Xilocopa that much more sparingly than Bombus turned to go quietly flowers, what they were doing? ... they pierce the corolla with great skill to reach the nectar by the shortest route. Here
irrefutable proof.
And here in expanded view, if there were doubts. I could see, and this picture is proof, so get into flowers whose corolla is not yet open, thus anticipating other nectar eaters.
Mind you I can not help suspecting, too, of beetles, but I think they are devoted mainly to enlarge the stab wounds that give the dark bees.
I know they are guilty and that perhaps such treatment to the detriment of fruit production next year, but I like both, to go unpunished. The penalty is not involved to make nests somewhere that I can control to observe their behavior.
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