Leaf cutter Bees

every year at this time of year we get questions about what is happening to my rose leaves. If they look like the picture tha answer is leaf cutter bees.

These are solitary bees that nest in holes in wood or in nests in the ground. they are smaller than Honey Bees and don't seem to sting. They take the cut foliage or flowers and use them to build their nest

they have become more and more common as the feral or wild honey bee population declines. In a previous post about zucchini squash I described the decline as being from the introduction of mites that attack honey bees and kill entire hives.

We have seen a resurgence of the native wild bee population including both leaf cutter bees and bumble bees.

Chemical control is not easy because they arn't actually eating the foliage. Usually we recoment ignoring the damage. They seem to like roses, bougainvillea, and a few other plants with foliage of similar thicknessw and textrue.

They can be annoying especially when they seem to prefer one plant out of the garden. Usually the damage is minimal and the plants grow out of it easily. Look at it as one of the marvels of nature.

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Leaf cutter bee
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http://crawford.tardigrade.net/bugs/BugofMonth23.html