leafcutter_bee

Leafcutting bees, as their name implies, use 0.25 to 0.5 inch circular pieces of leaves they neatly cut from plants to construct nests. They construct cigar-like nests that contain several cells. Each cell contains a ball or loaf of stored pollen and a single egg. Therefore, each cell will produce a single bee. Leafcutting bees construct these nests in soil, in holes (usually made by other insects) in wood, and in plant stems. A diversity of cavities, such as shells of dead snails, holes in concrete walls (like those produced for hurricane shutters) and other holes in man-made objects are used as nesting sites.