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On the air
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| [Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note |
It is a kind of leaf cutter bee (Megachile rotundata)
FAMILY
Megachilidae
TAXONOMY
Apis rotundata Fabritius, 1787.
OTHER COMMON NAMES
English: Leaf cutter bee; Spanish: Abeja polinizadora de la alfalfa.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
Moderate size, about 0.31–0.35 in (8–9 mm). A fairly stoutbodied
bee. Black with yellow pilosity in the front and at the
dorsum of the thorax and whitish pilosity in ventrolateral areas,
legs, and mouth. Abdomen has short hairs that are white and
yellow along the dorsal ridge. Females have pollen brushes on
the ventral side of abdomen.
DISTRIBUTION
Originally from Europe, but it was introduced into North
America and some part of Asia. It is distributed in the Neartic, particularly in
Canada; from Canada it was introduced to Chile.
HABITAT
Grasslands.
BEHAVIOR
Solitary. Cuts leaves and petal pieces to line cells for offspring
in nests. When they cut leaves, they leave a characteristic oblong
or circular cutout on the edge of the leaf or petal. Several
oblong leaf pieces line individual cells in the nest.
FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET
Adults feed on nectar; larvae eat pollen and nectar.
REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY
The cells are filled with pollen and nectar. A single egg is laid
in each cell, which is capped with round leaf pieces. The bee
then starts over, collecting oblong leaf pieces.
CONSERVATION STATUS
Not threatened.
SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS
Valuable as pollinators of alfalfa crops. |
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Wonderful information!
And great photo...I love it that you caught the bee in flight without blur. :)
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