Leaf Cutter BeeWhile sitting out in the garden recently eating dinner, we were attracted by audible munching noises from our wisteria plant. Further investigation showed a bee-like creature neatly chopping an oval piece out of a leaf then flying away with its prize. It then returned for another piece of leaf, and then several more.
Later research told us that it was indeed a bee—a leaf cutter bee in fact—a solitary but quite friendly creature that likes wisteria, rose and other leaves as nest making material.
Webmaster
We opened our garden sunshade yesterday and a little green funnel of leaves fell out. When I picked it up it started to disintegrate, so I poked it back under the sunshade, and after a few minutes a bee arrived and began repairing it with little semi-circular bits of leaf. We had heard of leaf-cutter bees, and assumed this was one. It took it about ten minutes to complete the nest with a little trapdoor. We carefully folded and covered the sunshade, and now we have an unusable sunshade!
Frank&Eve
we have leafcutting bees under our wooden garden table we sit and drink and eat and the bees merrily fly around with leafs and come and go. our visitors are now used to them and we watch them making their nests.
I have just noticed a leaf cutter in my lavender, i called my father who keeps bees to find out what it was doing as it was digging a hole for about an hour.. Dad said it was a miner bee…
Later on i went back and had a poke about, i know i should not have but i am curious. Anyway could hear the bee buzzing then spotted rolled up leaves that were not from the lavender, called back DAD! Then told it was a leaf cutter… But now I am worried that i may have destroyed its home by poking around, will it be alright as i coverd it a little with compost… hope so..
are leaf cutter bees dangerous like normall bees?
Leaf cutter bees are solitary, they do not swarm. If provoked they may sting, but generally passive and just get on with what they do, cut leaf, go to nest site, cut leaf, go to nest site… you get the idea. I encourage them into my garden with a bamboo cane bundle artificial home as per here >> http://www.wildlife-gardening.co.uk/OG9.htm as they are good pollinators, and predate on garden pests.
could anyone tell me how to STOP bees (honey) from going into
my bird nest boxes they go in and kill the young birds
is there something i can spray to stop them from going into the
boxes that will not harm the birds ?e-mail me normhall (AT) ripper.com.au
I suggest you contact your nearest honey farm and ask them. They have ways of moving hives and might even welcome a new queen.