Life is not always sunny for the sunflower bee, Svastra obliqua, a native longhorned bee.
The gals have trouble foraging when a male longhorned bee, Melissodes agilis, targets them.
The male M. agilis are very territorial--and their kamikaze-like maneuvers are spectacular.
The gal Svastras try to ignore them until the dive-bombing results in direct hits.
We saw this female foraging this week on a Mexican sunflower, Tithonia rotundifola. We also saw her bolt after the male M. agilis hit his mark. Gotcha!
Score:
Male Melissodes agilis: 1
Female Svastra obliqua expurgata: 0.
(For more information on these two species and other bee species in California, see the Heyday publication, California Bees and Blooms: A Guide for Gardeners and Naturalists, the work of UC-affiliated scientists , , It's available on the UC ANR website and on other sites. Also access the YouTube video on Svastras by The Bees in Your Backyard.)
Attached Images:
A female sunflower bee, Svastra obliqua expurgata, forages on a Mexican sunflower, Tithonia rotundifola, in Vacaville, Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Life is good, the pollen is better. But that's about to change for this female sunflower bee. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A bullet of a bee is heading toward the foraging sunflower bee. He means business. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Scram! The male Melissodes agilis scores a direct hit on the sunflower bee, Svastra obliqua expurgata. This image was shot at 1/8000 of a second. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
I'm outta here! The sunflower bee, Svastra obliqua expurgata, quickly departs for another blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)