Invertebrates
Patchwork Leafcutter Bee
Megachile centuncularis
On a rose leaf in July, a neat semicircle has been cut from the edge, the work of a patchwork leafcutter bee building a nest.
Overview
The patchwork leafcutter bee, Megachile centuncularis, is a solitary bee of gardens, hedgerows, and woodland edges across Europe and parts of Asia that lines its nest with cut pieces of leaf. Its tidy cuts and belly-carried pollen make it one of the most recognisable solitary bees.
A bee that sews with leaves
Each cell of the nest is a thimble of overlapping leaf pieces, built up one by one from the plants around the nest.
Status
Least Concern, widespread and common.
Patchwork Leafcutter Bee: common questions
Why does the bee cut holes in rose leaves?
It cuts neat semicircular pieces from the leaves and uses them to line the cells of its nest, with each cell stocked with pollen and an egg.
Does leafcutting harm the plant?
No, it leaves neat holes but does no lasting harm to the plant.
Where does it carry pollen?
It carries pollen on a dense brush of hairs on the underside of its abdomen, rather than on its legs.
Where does the leafcutter bee nest?
It nests in hollow stems, holes in wood, and crevices in walls.