Xylocopa Confusa female

This is the female of the species, the male is linked below.

The bee is seen here feeding on asystasia gangetica - creeping foxglove. The flower is very delicate and breaks off very easily. It will not support the weight of this large bee entering the flower conventionally. So the bee has developed a new strategy for accessing the prize. Unfortunately for the foxglove, this passes by the fertilization process.

If you try for a shot amongst the foxgloves in the afternoon, you would be out of luck, as all the flower heads will have dropped off. A new set of blooms appear the next day.

Location is Bandung, West Java, Indonesia. Patch of wasteland.