Scientific Name: Megachile pugnata
Family: Megachilidae
Native Range: Eastern North America, Pennsylvania
Size:
Nest: Solitary, leaf cutter*
Nesting Location: Pre-made tunnels or holes (Wilson and Carril, p. 184 – 188)
Nest Materials: Pieces of leaves stuck together with saliva (Wilson and Carril, p. 184 – 188)
Active: Summer
Color and Appearance: Black with whitish hairs
Pollen Collection: Hairs under abdomen (Wilson and Carril, p. 184 – 188)
Flight Distance: *
Bees in the genus Megachile (meaning “big lipped”) snip pieces of leaves to line their nests, giving them a common name of “leaf cutter” bees. Construction of each nest cell can take anywhere from 1.5 – 3 hours for Megachile sp. bees. (Wilson and Carril, p. 184 – 188)
*From Heather Holm, Pollinators of Native Plants: Attract, Observe and Identify Pollinators and Beneficial Insects with Native Plants. Minetonka: Pollination Press, LLC, 2014., p. 267.