Leafcutter/Resin Bee Photos
by Erica Siegel

Aussie Bee Homepage > New Native Bee Photos > Leafcutter/Resin Bees

Erica Siegel of Queensland kindly contributed the following beautiful photographs of Megachile bees to the Aussie Bee Website:

Most Australian leafcutter and resin bees belong to genus Megachile. Although they build very different nests, leafcutter bees and resin bees are similar in appearance and difficult to distinguish in photographs.

Leafcutter bees tend to have a more pointed, leaf shaped abdomens while resin bees have more rounded cylindrical abdomens.

Both leafcutter bees and resin bees carry their pollen on an array of stiff bristles underneath the abdomen.

Leafcutter bees cut pieces of leaf to line their solitary nests while resin bee line and seal their nests with materials such as resin, pebbles or chewed leaves.

More Photographs of Leafcutter Bees More Photographs of Resin Bees See Erica Siegel's Videos of Blue Banded Bees More Photographs by Erica Siegel