Unique Bee Nests We Didn't Know Existed

The artful home of Osmia Avosetta

I recently made the mistake of moving a bumblebee hive that had so quietly and politely established itself in a loose pile of hay that I hadn't noticed it was there until it was too late. When the forager bees began to return to the spot where their hive used to be, I noticed what had happened, found the clump of hay that buzzed when I poked it, and tried to put it back where I'd found it. I am very much hoping that these bees will be able to set right everything that I destroyed. Bees are known for being industrious and efficient hard workers, so I think they'll be okay. However, this is not what impressed me most about my newfound backyard hive. What impresses me most is that though their home had been literally tossed aside, pulled apart and tossed again, the Bumblebees did not become at all aggressive. The only emotion I sensed from them was polite confusion. 

Their gentle demeanor and total lack of desire for revenge or retaliation almost made me cry. They are such sweet little creatures.  

I couldn't believe that I, a former beekeeper, had never noticed a bumblebee nest I walked passed every day, but it is amazing what we notice when we're tuned in to it. Walking around outside after putting my new friends back, I noticed little mason bees slipping into holes in the wood, wasps disappearing into openings in the dirt, and even a bumblebee waddling into an old rodent burrow along the side of the garage. 

Hard working bumblebee with lots of pollen on its leg

My worry for the bumblebees who had been so nice to me after I disturbed their home lead me to research bumblebee hives, which are quite different from the honeybee hives I'm familiar with. Bumble bees hives have less than 1% of the population of a honeybee hive and they are often found in abandoned burrows made by other animals, or old hay bails (like mine was). Honeybees and bumblebees are fascinating enough on their own, but there are so many types of bees, all fantastically varied in appearance and behavior.

Here's where I got sucked into the rabbit hole and couldn't get back to sleep. I'd like to share with you 5 crazy bee nests that sound like something out of a fantasy novel. 

Houses Made of Flowers

Osmia Avosetta, a solitary bee (meaning it lives on its own and not as a part of a hive), carefully cuts flower petals, then glues them together with mud, to build its home. Each nest is a unique work of art! 

The artist, Osmia Avosetta

          

Bees Who Burrow Through Solid Rock

No exaggeration. Anthophora Pueblo actually does use its mandibles to dig through sandstone and build its nest. Sandstone is soft as far as rocks go, but it's still rock. Because this bee's home is so strong, it can safely wait out unfavorable conditions for up to 4 years before emerging from the rock when the time is right. 

Anthophora Pueblo peaking its head out of it's sandstone nest. 

Australian Spiral Hive Bees

These sweet little stingless bees build beautifully intricate spiral comb propped up on stilts that look like some sort of science fiction nightmare. Tetragonula carbonaria is native to Australia. At this point, nobody knows why they build their homes this way. 

Australian native bee hive viewed from above

The Giant Bee

Fee, Fi, Fo, Fum! this is the largest bee in all the known world. Megachile Pluto is about 4 times larger than a normal honey or bumble bee. It's pretty rare, and for 38 years it was presumed extinct. It was just recently, in 2019, that it was rediscovered on an Indonesian Island. These are the only bees I've heard of who prefer room mates! They tend to make their homes within active termite nests high up in the trees.

Giant Bee outside the home it shares with thousands of termites.

The Cuckoo Bee

The cuckoo bee is an impostor. It infiltrates existing hives and lays its eggs there, to be raised by other bees. It's very difficult to identify, as 'cuckoo bee' is an umbrella term, referring to many different species of bee, each mimicking the appearance of the type of bee it targets. How strange that this bee has no home at all. 

The cuckoo bee could resemble any of these bees.

Have you encountered any unexpected insect homes?

For more information on these amazing creatures, you can check out some of the websites I sourced for this post...

Bees living in stone     Cuckoo Bees     Giant Bees     Spiral Hive Bees      Leaf Cutter Bees

Another beautiful flower nest, just for fun.