Success-A tiny summer bee nests in our viewing home!

Tiny summer bee that spins its cell plugs

Three translucent plugs between cells..

A leafcutter bee in action.  Note the striped abdomen which is typical of the leafcutter bee family.

Summer bee  (below) and leafcutter bee cells (above in the slightly larger nesting tunnel).

Over view. Leafcutter bee nests in the slightly larger nesting holes, whereas this summer bee chooses the smaller nesting tunnels (below).

Jack set out this viewing home in Alberta and this is what he wrote:

“We have something else (besides the leafcutter bee) using the smallest groves in our Viewing Home.  It has  packed in pollen and then seems to spin a wax or silk dome around the pollen, then starts a new one using same procedure. It looks like a small slender form of bee, but resembles an ant.  Do you know what this might be?

I have been watching every day to see how it spins its nest pouch.  It  uses its 2 hind legs and tongue to create a barrier or nest pouch between the pollen pockets.”

Thanks Jack.  A great contribution.  I have never seen this before, where a bees spins material to form a nest plug.    I think this viewing home will allow gardeners see more and more bees that have not even been identified yet.  We are chasing down the identity as we speak.  More about viewing home

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