Leaf-cutting Bee - female

Description:

Most common leafcutter bees are approximately the size of a honeybee. Their pollen carrying scopa is located on the ventral side of their abdomen, instead of the hind legs as in most other bees. They are solitary bees and nest in soft, rotted wood; thick-stemmed, pithy plants and in similar materials that the bees can easily cut through and excavate. They use cut leaves to construct nest cells and then provision each cell with a mixture of nectar and pollen. There are a great many parasites that act as important natural enemies of leafcutter bees. As a result, leaf cutting activity may vary widely from year to year. Parasitic bees and wasps, velvet ants and certain blister beetles are among the most important enemies of leafcutter bees and other solitary bees. They often are essential pollinators of wild plants. One leafcutter bee species (Megachile rotundata) is cultivated for agricultural use to help produce alfalfa seed.

Habitat:

Throughout the U.S.. A variety of habitats and flowering plants.

Notes:

Observed on Shasta Daisy (Leucanthemum x superbum). Megachile species are important native pollinators. This was 1 of 5 leaf-cutting bee species observed.