Mudhoneys

Mudhoneys are a fictional taxon of small, mud-dwelling bees described in speculative biology and worldbuilding. The name combines mud with honey, referring to their preferred habitat and to a honey-like substance they store for brood rearing.

In the imagined taxonomy, Mudhoneys are in the order Hymenoptera and placed near mason bees in a speculative family called Mudhoneidae. Adults measure about 5–9 millimeters, with stout bodies, sculptured metasomas, and dense facial and thoracic hairs that help collect mud for nest construction.

Habitat and nest: They inhabit damp clay banks, river margins, and marsh edges where mud remains soft after floods. Nests are subterranean or in earthen walls, consisting of a series of connected mud cells capped with domes. A single colony typically contains a queen, a cadre of workers, and seasonal swarms of males.

Ecology and life cycle: Mudhoneys exhibit eusocial behavior in which workers incubate brood and forage while the queen lays eggs. Eggs hatch into larvae that feed on stored nectar-like provisioning and pollen, then pupate inside the mud cells. Emergence is synchronized with wet-season flowering.

Interactions and significance: As pollinators of wetland flora, Mudhoneys are depicted as important for ecosystem maintenance in their fictional world. They are sensitive to hydrological changes and habitat loss, making them a common subject in speculative ecology and conservation narratives in worldbuilding communities.