Hi Margriet,
I’m wondering if you would be able to identify these ‘bees’ in my dad’s
garden for me.  I don’t believe they are mason bees as they’re too
‘stripey’ but I’m not sure if they’re good or bad.

I hope the summer is treating you well!
Thanks,  Shirley, Cultivate Garden & Gift Ltd.  Parksville, BC, V9P 1T5

Hi Shirley,
I believe these are leafcutter bees.  Did you see them carry leaves into the
nest?

If not, they are another species of solitary bee.
The legs seem broader and very hairy and that makes me think it might not be
a leafcutter bee.  Does anyone know what this bee  is?  Margriet

Thanks, Margriet!  I didn’t see any leaf carriers with this nest.  I did
spot a leaf cutter in my own garden yesterday, chomping away on a golden
privet and they’ve made a mess of my newly planted hydrangea!  I was happy
to finally spot one as they’ve been elusive when I’m around.  At least, I
thought they had been until I saw one and realized they were plentiful this
summer as I had noticed the whiter looking bees quite a bit and wondered
what they were.

I also found a couple of pieces of what I think was a nest lying on the
ground in another area.  I didn’t know what it was at first so started
pulling it apart and realized it was the little round bits of leaves all
rolled together like a cigarette!   I don’t know if it got knocked out of
somewhere because it was just lying there in the middle of nowhere on top of
the soil like it had blown in.  (This nest may have been pulled out of the nest by birds.)

Another good teaching opportunity for my kids…although they didn’t seem
quite as excited as I was.
Shirley