Will bees destroy cloth to make a nest?

I noticed what I think was a honey bee (maybe small bumbles) nest forming in a bag of winter clothes. Will they destroy the clothes to make the nest or just bring things in?

This question was asked by a friend who does not yet have an iNat account.

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I didnt know bees did stuff like that. Maybe they eat it like moths?

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Honey bees don’t make their hives out of clothes, they might find something like a box with a hole in it and make that their home.
I think bumble bees might possibly choose a bag full of clothes as their home, but I’m not sure. :grimacing: :grin: It would be rare.

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I was able to see the bag and bees today. They don’t look like honey bees, but are smaller than the bumblebees I’m used to. I will post an observation later and link to it in this topic.

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Yellowjackets? From my observations of people, most people refer to yellowjackets as “bees.”

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Definitely not yellowjackets. I haven’t made an observation yet but here are some pictures:


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I have to note that not all moths eat cloth material. Certain members of Tineidae, do.

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Really? I thought they all did

Only the larvae of some moth species will eat dead organic matter, like wool and cotton. Artificial fabrics will not be eaten. Many beetle larvae, like Dermestids, do the same thing, although they seem to prefer crumbs in drawers and stored grain products.

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So their bodies are able to digest the fabric?

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Yes. As long as it is organic matter. Some insects prefer dry, dead matter, and can digest it - I don’t know the mechanism though. Dermestid beetle larvae are used in museums to clean skeletons of dried muscle!

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I wouldn’t put it past them bees can have some very weird behaviors. I’ve observed honey bees collecting seeds from a bird feeder.

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Woah thats intresting

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It was an interesting observation I think it was a displacement behavior.

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