Nests are durable and humid: bees

1 of 2 Osmia avosetta chamber lining / Jerome G. Ro.. / License

The flower petal nests of Osmia avosetta bees are durable and humid because of their multi-layer design, with a hard layer sandwiched between organic layers.

Biomimicry Taxonomy

	Make >
	Physically assemble >
	Structure

Biomimetic Application Ideas

Temporary packaging with maintained humidity levels Hard containers using local materials

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[Collapse all sections] Summary

"With a flair for the colorful, O. avosetta makes a 'petal sandwich' out of two layers [of] flower petals inside a small burrow it digs in the ground, cementing them together with clay or mud. Then it caps the chamber with a mud plug, which seals the humidity inside while letting the outside harden. It's the perfect environment for the egg, said Jerome Rozen, curator in the Division of Invertebrate Zoology at the American Museum of Natural History." (Shipley 2010)

About the inspiring organism

Osmia
Osmia

Organism/taxonomy data provided by:
Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2008 Annual Checklist

Bioinspired products and application ideas

Application Ideas: Creating temporary packaging to maintain humidity levels, creating hard containers using local materials.

Industrial Sector(s) interested in this strategy: Packaging

Experts

Division of Invertebrate Zoology
Dr. Jerome G. Rozen, Jr.
American Museum of Natural History

References

Shipley T. 2010. Bees build gorgeous underground flower-petal nests. Discovery News [Internet],

Rozen Jr. JG; Özbek H; Ascher JS; Sedivy C; Praz C; Monfared A; Müller A. 2010. Nests, petal usage, floral preferences, and immatures of Osmia (Ozbekosmia) avosetta (Megachilidae: Megachilinae: Osmiini), including biological comparisons with other osmiine bees. American Museum Novitates. 3680: 1-22.

Nests are durable and humid: bees

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