The outcomes of interactions among plants and the insects that use their flowers are likely to vary among the physical environments and the communities in which they grow.
Nectar robbers make a hole in the flower when they collect nectar.
Thus, these bees may act as low-efficiency pollinators and may, at times, be mutualistic associates. The beetles eat pollen and might also consume nectar. Since the beetles gain access to pollen and nectar by entering the flower through its opening, and later chew holes while foraging on floral tissue, the beetles are pollen eaters rather than nectar robbers. Overall, our results show that not all floral damage is caused by nectar robbers and that there can be strong altitudinal variation in the causes and consequences of floral damage.