Megachilidae: Leafcutter Bees (Megachile)

Biology

Leafcutter bees are solitary bees, and as their name suggests, cut 0.25-0.5 inch circular pieces of leaves or petals from which to construct their brood cells in rotting wood, stems and soil. They construct cigar-like nests that contain several cells. Each cell contains a ball of stored pollen and a single egg and therefore produces a single bee. Leafcutter bees are moderate to large bees (0.4-0.8 inches long) with about 140 species in North America. The females carry pollen on a patch of dry hair on the underside of the abdomen.