Chaos breaks out in the kitchen: “Hummingbird hawk moth on the salvia!” And there it is, hovering like a tiny drone, sipping delicately from the pink-and-white blooms of Salvia Amethyst Lips.
It’s only the second time I’ve seen this dazzling day-flying moth (Macroglossum stellatarum) in our suburban garden. With its long, coiled proboscis, it drinks deep from flowers other pollinators can’t reach.
Once the moth departs, a buff-tailed bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) swoops in — but it’s too short-tongued to feed the proper way. Instead, it pierces the flower’s side, stealing nectar through a tiny hole.
By late summer, nearly every salvia bears these telltale punctures — proof of widespread floral piracy. And the buff-tail isn’t alone: white-tailed and red-tailed bumblebees, mining bees, and leaf-cutters all join the heist.
Even honeybees take advantage, slipping their tongues through holes made by others — nectar thieves turned opportunists.
It’s astonishing how many species turn rogue when faced with long tubular flowers like fuchsia or aquilegia. A single patio plant reveals nature’s quiet rebellion — in the world of bees, length truly is power.
