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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies (Hymenoptera) » Aculeata - Ants, Bees and Stinging Wasps » Apoidea (clade Anthophila) - Bees » Sweat, Furrow, Nomiine, and Short-faced Bees (Halictidae) » Sweat and Furrow Bees (Halictinae) » Augochlorine Green Sweat Bees and Allies (Augochlorini) » Augochlorella or Augochlora pura
Photo#348617
Behavior Question
Copyright © 2009 StevenBren

Behavior Question
Nashville, Davidson County, Tennessee, USA
November 2, 2009
Size: 9 mm
I saw several of these metallic bees doing this on Turk's Cap flowers. They would sit for 10 minutes seemingly trying to ingest an overly large drop of water or nectar by extending the maxillae and contracting them. Were they feeding or trying to rid themselves of a large drop of water stuck there by surface tension? The legs were never involved. I never saw a drop disappear because other bees would eventually disturb them.

Images of this individual: tag all
Behavior Question Behavior Question Behavior Question
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Contributed by StevenBren on 2 November, 2009 - 5:01pm
Last updated 8 March, 2014 - 10:51pm

Moved
Moved from Augochlorini.
… John S. Ascher, 8 March, 2014 - 10:51pm login or register to post comments

Wow
What a spectacular image!
… Ashley Bradford, 3 February, 2010 - 7:59pm login or register to post comments

Moved
Moved from Halictinae.
… John S. Ascher, 12 December, 2009 - 10:49pm login or register to post comments

Moved
Moved from Sweat Bees.
… John S. Ascher, 9 December, 2009 - 11:25pm login or register to post comments

Moved
Moved from ID Request.
… Charley Eiseman, 30 November, 2009 - 11:52am login or register to post comments

Woah!
I never knew their mouthparts moved like that... and so far (though in retrospect, I probably should have).
… Jonas Insinga, 5 November, 2009 - 4:41pm login or register to post comments

 
Look at these ones
Here
here
video
another video
… Beatriz Moisset, 5 November, 2009 - 5:53pm login or register to post comments

Having thought about it,
I think that they may just be concentrating nectar by evaporation. These flowers open straight up and should catch rain and dew which would dilute the nectar. The constant stretching of the drop would cause it to evaporate faster. A concentrated load would be a more economic load. I'll watch again today if it is sunny.
… StevenBren, 3 November, 2009 - 6:15am login or register to post comments

for keeps
I don't think it is trying to get rid of the drop. I have seen videos of drugged ants vomiting. It's hard for them to break the surface tension without pressing the mouth parts to a surface. In short, I think your sweat bee would do the same if they were trying to get rid of the bubble.
… Pteraform, 2 November, 2009 - 7:31pm login or register to post comments

Neat shots
Polistes species do a similar behavior; after a good feed, they regurgitate a drop of the food and hold it in their jaws for a few seconds or even a minute. Then they swallow it again and repeat the process.
I have read that this helps to digest the food. Maybe I can find the reference again...
… Vespula Vulgaris, 2 November, 2009 - 7:29pm login or register to post comments

Bubbles
We have a whole collection of bubble makers and an interesting discussion. You may want to add yours. You did a great job on this.
… Beatriz Moisset, 2 November, 2009 - 6:14pm login or register to post comments

 
Interesting discussion indeed,
and two more examples of the same species illustrated.
… StevenBren, 2 November, 2009 - 6:23pm login or register to post comments

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