Megachile - Leafcutter bees
Both Megachile and the genus Osmia belong to the family Megachilidae, meaning “large jaw,” referring to their large mandibles. Megachile are non-metallic and dark bodied, often with abdominal hair bands. They are called leafcutter bees because they cut small pieces of leaves and flowers to line their nest cells. One non-native species, Megachile rotundata, is managed commercially in Oregon for the pollination of alfalfa. There are approximately forty species in Oregon.
Size: 6-22mm
Preferred crops: Alfalfa, onion, carrot, and sunflower.
Nesting Behavior: Solitary. Megachile nest in cracks and crevices of wood or rock, in beetle holes, in pithy stems, and occassionally in the ground.
Preferred crops: Alfalfa, onion, carrot, and sunflower.
Nesting Behavior: Solitary. Megachile nest in cracks and crevices of wood or rock, in beetle holes, in pithy stems, and occassionally in the ground.
Mining bees carry pollen on their hind legs and on hairs between the thorax and abdomen.