Of wasps and bees

In the desert, natural resources are always in short supply. So, animals and plants naturally found in this country try to use whatever resources available in nature as well as in man-made environments.

Recently I was out bird-watching in Mamzar Park, passing by a clump of exotic shrubby plants with white flowers when I saw a few white-eared bulbuls flitting through the bunch in search of insects and worms. I could see many tiny insects and ants working on the flowers, possibly collecting nectar and pollen. On closer inspection I saw at least three species of ants and half a dozen species of wasps and bees on the flowers.

Of the larger species the canary carpenter bee and oriental wasp were the most vividly-coloured. These large insects look not only for nectar but also pollen. Nectar-feeding insects aid the flowering plants in their quest for perfect breeding through cross fertilisation of flowers.