Urban Bees Using Plastic to Build Nests

Some of them are quite artistic as well.....

.... using advanced communication skills....

Dogs have been studying bee's for years......

You have way too much free time don't ya?

It's winter, and I'm retired,,,,,so yeah.......

Another use for Corflute^® plastic?

The adaptability of many species is always informative.

Most animal species are opportunistic (maybe all?) and it is not surprising to me that these bees are experimenting with the materials they have at hand.

I seem to recall a big controversy in the northwest U.S. many years ago where certain groups were decrying the logging of lands as disruptive to the spotted owl and the presence of man in these areas would drive out the owl.

Then they found the spotted owl nesting in the letters of a Home Depot sign.

In fairness to the conservation folks, the owls depend on old growth trees to provide the crags and holes to provide nesting spots. There also appears to be more recent controversy as the feds have been killing off the barred owl in those areas because the barred owl is more aggressive and is driving out the spotted owl.

http://www.kirotv.com/ap/ap/california/removing-barred-owls-easier-than-thought/ncw4n/

Apparently the barred owl has more varied palate and thus adapts better than the spotted owl. Or at least so they say. It is interesting that our government is killing off a more successful species to protect the declining numbers of a less successful species. I'm still trying to sort out in my mind if this is because of man-made influence that benefits the barred owl or just the evolutionary development in the species.

"It is interesting that our government is killing off a more successful species to protect the declining numbers of a less successful species."

Heavens. Government loves putting the hurt on anything successful in order to support the unsuccessful.

Exactly, it's the democratic way.

Hmmmm . . . perhaps I was not as subtle as I could have been. Astute members of the audience picked right up on my snarkyism.