|
Home
Shropshire Invertebrates Group
Things
Links
Contact
Organdie
Nets for entomologists
| |
|
Leafcutter Bee - Megachile species |
Photo - courtesy Maggie Frankum |
A female leafcutter bee Megachile spp. with a section of leaf that it
has just cut. The females cut up leaves and fly off, landing nearby to
reposition the leaf cutting, before flying off again, to transport the leaf
to its nest. |
 |
A magnificent male Megachile willbughbiella. The male of this common
garden species has expanded front legs, clothed in light golden-yellow
hairs. |
 |
A newly sealed leafcutter bee's nest entrance. On the left is a finished
nest entrance and on the right is a nearly completed seal. |
 |
This leafcutter bees nest was discovered inside an umbrella! You can clearly
see how the bee folds sections of leaf together to make a series of joined
up cells. |
 |
A single cell, showing how each cell is individually sealed at the end. |
 |
Single sections of cut leaf from a leafcutter bee's nest cell. The long
pieces make the side walls and the circular pieces are used to seal the ends
of the cell. |
|