Posts Tagged: Megachile

Ever See a Leafcutter Bee Sunning Itself on a Milkweed Leaf?

Well, that's something you don't see every day: a leafcutter bee sunning itself on a milkweed leaf. The narrowleafed milkweed, Asclepias...

A leafcutter bee, Megachile spp., rests on a leaf of milkweed, Asclepias fascicularis, in a Vacaville, Calif. garden. Both are natives. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A leafcutter bee, Megachile spp., rests on a leaf of milkweed, Asclepias fascicularis, in a Vacaville, Calif. garden. Both are natives. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The leaf is long and the leafcutter bee is short. Leafcutter bees are smaller than honey bees. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The leaf is long and the leafcutter bee is short. Leafcutter bees are smaller than honey bees. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Close-up of the male leafcutter bee. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Close-up of the male leafcutter bee. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Day 5 of National Pollinator Week: The Leafcutter Bee

Day 5 of National Pollinator Week: Meet the leafcutter bee, family Megachilidae. It's a native pollinator, a solitary bee,  and about the...

A leafcutter bee (family Megachilidae) foraging on Verbena in Vacaville, Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A leafcutter bee (family Megachilidae) foraging on Verbena in Vacaville, Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

In Search of the World's Biggest Bee: How It Came to 'Bee'

Imagine you're in an Indonesian rainforest and a humongous bee, with a wingspan of two and a half inches, flies over your head. The world's largest...

Natural history photographer Clay Bolt photographs Wallace’s Giant See in its nest. The bee nests in active termite mounds in the North Moluccas, Indonesia. (Copyright Simon Robson)

Natural history photographer Clay Bolt photographs Wallace’s Giant See in its nest. The bee nests in active termite mounds in the North Moluccas, Indonesia. (Copyright Simon Robson)

Wallace’s Giant Bee. Megachile pluto, the world’s largest bee, is approximately four times larger than a European honey bee. This is a composite. (Copyright Clay Bolt, www.claybolt.com)

Wallace’s Giant Bee. Megachile pluto, the world’s largest bee, is approximately four times larger than a European honey bee. This is a composite. (Copyright Clay Bolt, www.claybolt.com)

Photographer Allan Jones Exudes Patience, Skill and Talent

Photographer Allan Jones of Davis exudes patience, skill and talent from the moment he enters the Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven, a half-acre bee...

Photographer Allan Jones of Davis focuses his camera on insects in the Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Photographer Allan Jones of Davis focuses his camera on insects in the Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A female leafcutter bee, Megachile fidelis, carries a leaf, a Clarkia petal, back to her nest. (Copyrighted photo by Allan Jones, used with permission)

A female leafcutter bee, Megachile fidelis, carries a leaf, a Clarkia petal, back to her nest. (Copyrighted photo by Allan Jones, used with permission)

This "honey bee vs. wasp image is designed to help define and differentiate bees and wasps,” says photographer Allan Jones. (Copyrighted image by Allan Jones, used with permission.)

This "honey bee vs. wasp image is designed to help define and differentiate bees and wasps,” says photographer Allan Jones. (Copyrighted image by Allan Jones, used with permission.)

The Colors of Pollinator Week

As we near the end of celebrating National Pollinator Week, June 16-22, look around and see all the insects foraging on reddish-orange flowers. And...

Gulf Fritillary (Agraulis vanillae) spreads its wings on a purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea). (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Gulf Fritillary (Agraulis vanillae) spreads its wings on a purple coneflower(Echinacea purpurea) (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A sunflower bee (Melissodes agilis) forages on a blanket flower (Gallardia). (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A sunflower bee (Melissodes agilis) forages on a blanket flower (Gallardia). (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A green bottle fly rests on a Mexican sunflower (Tithonia rotundifolia). (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A green bottle fly rests on a Mexican sunflower (Tithonia rotundifolia). (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Honey bee (Apis mellifera) on a blanket flower (Gallardia). (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Honey bee (Apis mellifera) on a blanket flower (Gallardia) (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A leafcutting bee, Megachile fidelis, on a Mexican sunflower (Tithonia rotundifolia). (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A leafcutting bee, Megachile fidelis, on a Mexican sunflower (Tithonia rotundifolia). (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

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