The nest cells of polyester bees

How bees make plastic

Colletes inaequalis, a solitary bee that is native to the Northeast United States, is also known as the 'polyester bee'. In the spring, the bees dig thimble-sized underground nest cells, line each nest cell with a cellophane-like plastic, provision them with pollen and nectar, and then deposit a single egg in each cell before sealing it with more plastic.

We've been collecting and analysing these nests, including showing that there is also silk in the nest cell lining; it’s therefore a composite, closely akin to fiberglass. We presented this work at the Materials Research Society Spring Meetings in 2011 and 2016. One of my research students at Olin College of Engineering, Rebecca Belisle, received a Fulbright Fellowship to continue this work with a related species, Colletes thoracicus.

WaPo piece: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/metro/urban-jungle/pages/110315.html
SciAm piece: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/from-pollen-to-polyester/
In Gizmodo, alongside other 'living 3D printers': https://gizmodo.com/concrete-printing-bees-and-other-living-3d-printers-1477853742