Another amazing creature is nesting in our backyard, and this time it's a leaf-cutter bee -- enjoy!!!!!!!!
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lover of winged creatures, spirited children, dark chocolate, most Belgian tripel beer and a simple yet fulfilling life
5 comments:
Very cool, Court! Any idea what it looks like in there? Seems like a really big leaf piece. Does he shred them, or use them as wainscoting to panel his formal dining room? ;-)
-Paul
ha ha!!!!
Directly from: http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/insect/05576.html
Leafcutter bees do not eat the cut pieces of leaves that they remove. Instead, they carry them back to the nest and use them to fashion nest cells within the previously constructed tunnels. Then they provision each leaf-lined cell with a mixture of nectar and pollen. The female lays an egg and seals the cell, producing a finished nest cell that somewhat resembles a cigar butt. A series of closely packed cells are produced in sequence. A finished nest tunnel may contain a dozen or more cells forming a tube 4 to 8 inches long. The young bees develop and remain within the cells, emerging the next season.
patchwork leaf-cutter bees - Megachile centuncularis - is what I've been told this species is.
Max and I loved this video...
so glad to hear it, Laura - it's thanks to YOU, who gave me that flower pot years ago (back in Stow methinks!), that allowed me to witness this cute little guy. I've heard they'll also use solitary bee nest structures, so if we're lucky we might get to see it again.
blistery HOT here - hope your summer day is a little milder.
-court
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