Leafcutter & Mason Bees
What are they?
These are small to medium-sized bees, with most species being a little smaller than a honey bee. These are solitary bees, not colony-forming species and most species make nests from small pieces of vegetation that they cut from nearby plants. Females tend a small number of cells single-handedly and produce one generation per year. Though these species may do limited damage to plants, they also function as important pollinator insects. The small nests of these species may be found by following individuals back to holes in masonry, woodwork or in hollow stems of plants.
Identification
A difficult group of bees to identify. Most species are rather dark in color, often with paler legs, but identifying most species requires capture and close examination of the creature.
Flat-tailed Leafcutter Bee Megachile mendica
A common leafcutter bee which may often be found around flowers in open, grassy fields. Subtly different to related species by having a rather flat outline when seen from behind.
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