-
| | FAMILY MEGACHILIDAE
- Leafcutter Bees and Resin Bees
Order
Hymenoptera
- This page contains pictures and information about Leafcutter Bees and Resin Bees
in Family Megachilidae that we found in
the Brisbane area, Queensland, Australia.
-
-
-
- Leafcutter Bees and Resin Bees in family Megachilidae are medium size and are common in Brisbane gardens. They are solitary bees. They are visitors of different flowering plants.
They have long tongues which allow them to reach the nectar in tubular flowers.
Of course they feed on shallow flowers as well.
-
-
They have the stout body and large head. They are black
in colour with white bands on abdomen, some have orange abdomen.
-
-
-
-
Leafcutter Bees usually have relatively flat abdomen while Resin Bees
have long
cylindrical abdomen.
-
- On their forewings there are two sub-marginal cells which are about equal
in size. The scopa (for carrying pollen) is not on hind legs but on bottom
of abdomen.
-
-
 
-
-
Sometimes we find circular holes in soft-leaved plants, these are made by the female
Leafcutter Bee which uses the leaf to build her nest. They nest in new or
exiting hollows. Female usually
builds nest in existing cavity. She builds nest by resin, gum or
mud.
-
 -
- Both Leafcutter Bee and Resin Bee females provide eggs with pollen and nectar.
The eggs hatch into larvae and they feed on the pollen and nectar before pupating. They are
solitary (each female bee build nest, lays and cares her own eggs).
Lithurgini
- Black and White Leafcutter Bee
 
- Lithurgus sp., body length 15mm
- We sometimes find this Leafcutter Bee on flower during summer. The bee has
the relatively
flat body. Its thorax and head are hairy. The top of abdomen is smooth, with
white and black striped colour. Sometimes we find circular holes in soft-leaved plants, these are made by the female
Leafcutter Bee uses leave and other materials to build her nest. Please also visit
this page for details..
-
Megachilini
- Gold-tipped Leafcutter Bee
-
- Megachile (Eutricharaea) chrysopyga, body length 15mm
- We sometimes find this Leafcutter Bee on flower during summer. The bee has a relatively
flat body. Its thorax and head are hairy. The top of abdomen is smooth, with
white and black striped colour. The abdomen bottom is bright yellow in
colour. Please also visit
this page for more details.
-
-
- Fire-tailed Resin Bee
 - Megachile (Callomegachile) mystaceana (Chalicodoma mystaceana), body length 15mm
- Fire-tailed Resin Bee has black head and thorax. Its abdomen is distinctively
bright, orange-brown in colour. This is a solitary bee and build nest by resin,
gum or mud in enclosed spaces such as space between folds of fabric and old Mud-Dauber Wasp
nest. They will nest in drilled wooden blocks too. We have more information and
pictures in this page.
-
-
- Resin-dauber Bee
-
- Chalicodoma sp., body length 12mm
- We found those resin cells in Anstead Forest on March 2009. They were
attached on a large gum tree trunk about one meter above ground. We collected
them by cutting with the bark, brought them home and check what would come
out. Please check this page for the
details.
- Reference:
- 1. Native
Bees of the Sydney region, a field guide - Anne Dollin, Michael Batley,
Martyn Robinson & Brian Faulkner, Australian Native Bee Research Centre.
P44.
- 2. Bees - family Megachilidae - lifeunseen.com, by Nick Monaghan.
- 3. Megachilidae - PaDIL, Pests and Diseases Image Library.
- 4. Family MEGACHILIDAE - Australian Faunal Directory, Australian Biological Resources Study.
- 5. Northern
Territory Insects, A Comprehensive Guide CD - Graham Brown, 2009.
-
- Back to Top
-
- [ Up ] [ COLLETIDAE ] [ HALICTIDAE ] [ MEGACHILIDAE ] [ ANTHOPHORIDAE ] [ APIDAE ] [ Unknown Bees ]
| |
|
