How does a leafcutter bee make her nest from leaf pieces?
What do leafcutter bees actually do with the piece of leaf or flower petal, that they carry back to their nesting cavity? This film shows exactly that in more detail. Having watched leafcutters making their nests dozens of times, I have not really observed them for any length of time. It’s only now that I can really appreciate the work, time and effort involved by the female bee. More information to follow.
Pink rose petals turning to brown in this leafcutter bee’s nest
Read my popular article ‘Leafcutter bees, harmless, useful and often neglected pollinator’.
“All my articles and videos, available free, are funded by my teaching and sales of award-winning bumblebee nest boxes, solitary bee boxes, and wormeries. Please help by spreading the word and forwarding this link to your friends and colleagues. https://nurturing-nature.co.uk Thank you” George Pilkington
For more information about M. centuncularis see BWARS
All filmed using a Nurturing Nature Solitary bee observation nest box for our wild bees
For an MS word doc info sheet about the three most commonly seen in gardens leafcutters bees, from the Natural History Museum, download here (although the link states Garden Spider!)
For info and link to buy an excellent book Field Guide to the Bees of Great Britain and Ireland by Steven Falk
Solitary bees book by Ted Benton
A handy resource supports this book by an extraordinary web site feature within Steve Falk’s Flickr web site which furnishes extra photos and other useful resources to assist with identification.
Interested in Citizen Science and pollinators? (e.g. bees!) The Buzz Club
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