Uploaded April 2026 | Updated September 2026, 15 hours ago
Halfway through digging a small backyard pond, mason bees showed up to gather the fine muddy clay that had collected at the bottom after some good rain. They use it to build their nests. Once the pond was finished, that little "mud mine" was covered over (no bees were trapped!), so a new mud source will be set up nearby for them to hopefully find next year. It's easy to get so diligent about covering bare earth that we forget to leave resources for bees like these, or others that nest in the ground. Here's a fun clip of one at work.
Halfway through digging a small backyard pond, mason bees showed up to gather the fine muddy clay that had collected at the bottom after some good rain. They use it to build their nests. Once the pond was finished, that little "mud mine" was covered over (no bees were trapped!), so a new mud source will be set up nearby for them to hopefully find next year. It's easy to get so diligent about covering bare earth that we forget to leave resources for bees like these, or others that nest in the ground. Here's a fun clip of one at work.
