This photo shows a bumblebee accessing an aconite flower through an artificial hole, which it bites in the side of the flower. If you look closer you will notice more such holes on the other flowers heads. Bumblebees do this to gain better access to the flower's nectar source, which in the case of aconite is located deep inside the flower head. The bumblebee would have to reach all the way down towards the bottom of the "helmet"-shaped extension of the flower. Larger bumblebee species don't have a problem accessing these, but the smaller species will look for an easier way to reach the nectar source. Bees for example cannot access these flowers at all, since they are too small and not able to bite a whole into them. Observing different bumblebee species on my Aconitum lamarckii, I noticed all off them will take advantage of these little holes and large earth bumblebees will access the flower's nectar source both from the front and through these bite holes. As a result almost all the aconite flowers now have these holes and some are already frayed from being visited so often. #bumblebee #bombuspascuorum #carderbee #ackerhummel #aconite #flower #aconitumlamarckii #eisenhut #blüte #pollination #pollinator #bitehole #nectarsource #shortcut
