page_title: Colletes validus
section_title: Nesting Habitat
hierarchical_section_title: Colletes validus / Nesting Habitat
caption_attribution_description: English: A sandy slope on which Colletes validus typically nests.
context_page_description: Colletes validus, colloquially known as the blueberry cellophane bee or blueberry polyester bee, is a solitary, specialist bee in the family Colletidae. It is found primarily in eastern North America where it nests in sandy soils near ericaceous plants.
context_section_description: C. validus is a gregarious nester, meaning that nests often occur in aggregations (≈5 nests/m² ). Nesting sites are located in open sandy soils with sparse vegetation, often located close to their ericaceous hosts. Nests can be found on flat ground or south-facing slopes, but rarely under a closed canopy since C. validus prefers warm soils. Dense grass deters nesting.
  Surprisingly, C. validus is completely absent from surveys in the lowbush blueberry fields of Maine despite the tremendous abundance of host plant and presence of its generalist congener, C. inaequalis. One explanation is that cold springtime soils discourage nesting, but this hypothesis has not been rigorously tested.  Clearly, there are other factors besides open, sandy soil and host plant presence determining the nesting of C. validus within its range.
caption: A sandy slope on which Colletes validus typically nests. Photo taken in Concord, NH.
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