Feeling nostalgic about the Megachile bee that absolutely decimated the hollyhocks growing in front of my house last summer.
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Feeling nostalgic about the Megachile bee that absolutely decimated the hollyhocks growing in front of my house last summer.
#bee #bees #pollinators #insects
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Feeling nostalgic about the Megachile bee that absolutely decimated the hollyhocks growing in front of my house last summer.
#bee #bees #pollinators #insects
@ater !!! I had no idea some of these did flower petals! In my area I only see leaf cut-outs
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@ater !!! I had no idea some of these did flower petals! In my area I only see leaf cut-outs
@nev Megachile montivaga is (as of 1985 at least) the only known leafcutter to use flowers instead of leaves in their nests. They're native to North America.
There's also a mason bee in the middle east, Osmia avosetta, that uses flower petals in its nest!
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Feeling nostalgic about the Megachile bee that absolutely decimated the hollyhocks growing in front of my house last summer.
#bee #bees #pollinators #insects
@ater Puzzled head scratch, why do bees do this?
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R relay@relay.mycrowd.ca shared this topic
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@ater Puzzled head scratch, why do bees do this?
@ChristineMalec @ater Leaf cutter bees. Solitary, not honey producing. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megachile -
@ChristineMalec @ater Leaf cutter bees. Solitary, not honey producing. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megachile
@scuttlebutt @ChristineMalec Yeah the Wikipedia article explains it but they line each cell with leaves, provision it with enough pollen/nectar to grow a larva into a full sized bee, then lay an egg at the bottom and seal it in.
Also unlike honey bees they don't have pollen baskets but collect it on their furry little butts.
