Tootfinder

Here's the plug right after she applied some fresh mud, but she'll be back with several more loads before polishing it flat. Some Osmia species will dig tunnels to access good mud so if you have mason bees be sure to leave out containers of moist clay around the yard. #bees #osmia #mud #soil

Walked around Valley Forge National Historical Park last week and was surprised to find hundreds of mason bees nesting *inside* the soldier huts. I'd always assumed they required exterior wood, ideally with direct sun for most of the day. There were also hundreds of Houdini flies lurking around. #ValleyForge #pennsylvania #osmia #bees #insects #history #biology

Hornfaced bee (Osmia cornifrons) using mud to cap a nest at one of my insect hotels. Called the bean-flower bee (mame-ko bachi) in Japan because the balls of pollen and nectar they pack inside stems for their larvae to eat are as tasty as a dessert made from honey and soybean flour. The species was introduced to North America in the 1970s as a way to increase productivity of apple orchards. #InsectHotel #BeeHotel #pollination #bees #osmia #insects #orchard #gardening