Leafcutter Bee - Megachile willughbiella

Length 12 to 18 mm. A large leafcutter bee, the males of which have distinctive white flattened front tarsi. Females of this genus can be difficult to identify, even under a microscope.

Where a photo is surrounded by a red box it means that it is representative of the species but may not be the actual species described.

Often found in gardens. It nests in sunny, sheltered locations in crevices in dead wood or in the ground, sometimes using the soil in flower pots.

June to August.

Female Megachile bees construct nests of larval cells from leaves and provision each cell with a mixture of pollen and nectar for the young. The larva feed on this food store before overwintering and emerging the following summer.

Common.

Common.