Which insects are known to primarily feed on pollen?

Carpenter bees are known for their primary diet of pollen. These bees typically gather pollen from flowers, which they use as a food source for their larvae. They play a crucial role in pollination, as they move from flower to flower while collecting pollen, inadvertently facilitating the reproductive processes of many plants.

While butterflies do feed on nectar and may also obtain some pollen when they visit flowers, they do not primarily feed on pollen. Caterpillars primarily consume leaves or plant material rather than pollen, as they are the larval stage of moths and butterflies and require foliage for their growth. Ants are omnivorous and have a varied diet, which can include honeydew from aphids, dead insects, and food scraps, but they are not primarily pollen feeders.

Thus, carpenter bees stand out for their focused consumption of pollen, emphasizing their ecological role as pollinators and their relevance to both plant reproduction and ecosystems as a whole.