Secretion Waterproofs Nest

a yellow and black plasterer bee rests on sandy ground in the daylight

Biological Strategy

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Image: Jano du 59 62 / Flickr / Some rights reserved

Protect From Microbes

In living systems, microbes play important roles, such as breaking down organic matter and maintaining personal and system health. But they also pose threats. Bacteria can be pathogens that cause diseases. Some bacteria create colonies called biofilms that can coat surfaces, reducing their effectiveness–for example, inhibiting a leaf’s ability to photosynthesize. Living systems must have strategies for protecting from microbes that cause disease or become so numerous that they create an imbalance in the system. At the same time, living systems must continue living in harmony with other microbes. Some living systems kill microbes. Others repel without killing to reduce the chances that microbes will adapt to the lethal strategy and become resistant to it. For example, some pea seedlings exude a chemical that inhibits biofilm buildup.

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Protect From Excess Liquids

While water is essential to life, too much water or other liquids can overwhelm living systems. Excess liquids can, for example, decrease a living system’s access to oxygen, promote excessive bacterial or fungal growth, or strip away soil and nutrients. To prevent the accumulation of excess liquids, living systems must control the movement of liquids across their boundaries or surfaces. They do so using waterproofing materials or structures, slowing flow, and/or facilitating flow to move the liquid away. Plant leaves, for example, commonly have waxy surfaces comprised of water-repelling chemicals to keep water from engorging the leaves or facilitating bacterial and fungal growth.

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The Dufour's gland of plasterer bees protects their nests from water by secreting a natural polyester.

Introduction

Bees are some of nature’s most industrious animals. They build their homes, gather food, and care for their young with an impressive level of organization and coordination. But one of the most fascinating aspects of bees is the way they use self-generated materials to build their nests.

The Strategy

Unlike honey bees with their elaborate hive construction, plasterer bees (Colletes) and yellow-faced bees (Hylaeus), develop their breeding chambers in hollow twigs or holes in the ground, and line them with an oral secretion.

This fluid is produced by the Dufour’s , located in a bee’s head. When exuded, the fluid hardens into a cellophane-like film that the bees use to line the walls of the nest cavity. This not only prevents nectar from leaking out, but also keeps the nest dry and free of mold.

The Potential

The ability of bees to produce a liquid that turns to waterproof film, made only from the natural substances the bees eat, can inspire scientists to develop green materials with similar properties. These synthetic materials could be used in a variety of applications, such as waterproofing building materials, protecting food products, or coating medical implants.

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Last Updated October 14, 2022

References

“The plasterer bees (Colletes) and yellow-faced bees (Hylaeus) are among the most primitive bees; they build their breeding chambers in hollow twigs or holes in the ground, lining the walls of their nest cavity with wallpaper made of an oral secretion. This fluid hardens into a waterproof film resembling cellophane; the lining both prevents their collected nectar from leaking into the surrounding material and keeps away dampness and mold. (Pallasmaa 1995:37)”

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