Things seemed to be quietening down in the bumble bee and solitary bee nests so I haven't paid them much attention but today when I had a look at the solitary bee nest, I find some leaf cutter bees have decided to lay some eggs.
They are the green tubes, one starts after a few Red mason bee cocoons.
The queen was still in one of the cavities.
Leaf cutter bees look very much like honey bees except for the patch of orange fur on their underside.
Like lots of solitary bees they are very effective pollinators and its estimated one leaf cutter can do the pollination work of 20 honey bees.
They were introduced into America and Australia because of the pollinator abilities.
They cut circular bits of leaf [they particuilarly like roses] and line their nest with them, gluing them together with saliva in order to build the 'cells' in which their larvae live. The larvae hatch and develop, pupating in autumn and hibernating over winter.
Each cell has some pollen and nectar [not honey!] for the larvae.
Are these the pretties that scallop the edges of my rose leaves? I don't mind if it's in a good cause.
ReplyDelete