Proboscis

Definition

A honey bee's is about 6 mm, a garden bumblebee's about 15 mm. Red clover's corolla is 9 to 10 mm deep, which is why it is a bumblebee crop and why short-tongued species bite through the base to rob it. Tongue length is one of the most consequential differences between bee groups.

Plant records that discuss this

• BuddleiaThe separate ratings do real work here. Buddleia offers substantial nectar and very little accessible pollen, so it feeds adult insects and contributes almost nothing to raising the next generation of bees. A garden of nothing but buddleia would starve its own pollinators.