Bee proboscis query

Rambling Rob · #1 (**permalink**) 25-08-2011, 09:38 PM

I think this is a Common Carder Bee which I photographed on Purple Toadflax in the garden. The bee is moving between flowers, its proboscis is extended, and I'm wondering what is the yellow line along the length of the proboscis? Would it be pollen or nectar?

Thanks, Rob

Matt Smith · #2 (**permalink**) 26-08-2011, 04:45 PM

The photo in the Gallery has been posted as a small file, so I can't get it to blow up any further without loosing some detail. I would suggest that the line along the tongue is probably a light reflection off the thin edge of the tongue or similar. Pollen would not be "sucked up" and any nectar would be channelled along the centre of the tongue, not the edge.

Rambling Rob · #3 (**permalink**) 26-08-2011, 06:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matt Smith

The photo in the Gallery has been posted as a small file, so I can't get it to blow up any further without loosing some detail. I would suggest that the line along the tongue is probably a light reflection off the thin edge of the tongue or similar. Pollen would not be "sucked up" and any nectar would be channelled along the centre of the tongue, not the edge.

Matt, That's much as I'd suspected regarding the pollen / nectar suggestion but on the other hand I'm not sure this yellow line is consistent with the qualities of other reflections on the bee - right at the end of the proboscis, for example. Here's a closer crop from the image:

Thanks, Rob