Megachilidae: Carder Bees (Anthidium spp.) categories: Bees Megachilidae Pollinators revision date: 2023-03-24 12:00 European wool carder bee (Anthidium manicatum)Photo by: D. James Biology Carder bees are so-named because they ‘card’ or comb cottony down from hairy leaves using it to construct brood cells. There are 23 species in North America with at least one species, […]
Megachilidae: Leafcutter Bees (Megachile) categories: Bees Megachilidae Pollinators revision date: 2023-03-24 12:00 Leafcutter Bee (Megachile sp.)Photo by: D. James 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 […]
Megachilidae: Mason Bees (Osmia spp.) categories: Bees Megachilidae Pollinators revision date: 2023-03-24 12:00 Mason bee with pollen on underside of abdomenPhoto by: J. Abel Biology There are three genera of Mason bees and closely related species (Hoplitis, Chelostoma, Osmia). Osmia is the most speciose genus with about 150 species in North America. These bees are […]