Unlike many bees, this species carries the pollen on its belly. You can see how yellow the underside of the abdomen is, this is from the heavy coating of pollen. Occasionally you see these bees with whitish abdomens, clean and pollen free! These bees are pretty interesting. They cut perfectly circular shapes from leaves and use them to construct their nests, either under rocks, in cavities, under wood, and in bee boxes. Yes, last year these bees used our bee box for nesting and it was an interesting time to watch them as they carried their leaves, the balls of pollen, and finally mud to seal the entrance.