Leafcutter bee

Description:

This bee is black with small white stripes on the front of the abdomen, and was only about 1 inch long. Nests are sometimes constructed within hollow twigs or other similarly constricted natural cavities, but often are in burrows in the ground. Nests are typically composed of single long columns of cells, the cells being sequentially constructed from the deepest portion of the tunnel outwards. The female places an egg in each cell with a supply of food, generally pollen, sometimes mixed with nectar. She builds a cap and walls off the cell. Though this one here made it's nest in this little cavity inbetween the fan outdoors. These bees are called leafcutter bees, because they cut pieces of leaves for their nests. It did this to one of our phlox pants.

Habitat:

In my garden, Fort Worth, Texas.