A Megachilidae Bee on Meganissi.

A solitary bee seen on the Greek Island of Meganissi in May was this rather demonic looking bee.The best identification I can make is a member of the Megachilidae family of bees,more commonly known as Mason,Leafcutter,and Resin bees.Further enquires have found it to be subgenus chalicodoma.

Devil's-bit Scabious.

Now that the Common Fleabane is as good as over in my local copse,insects and in particular bees are all over the Devil's-bit Scabious flowers.This common plant prefers damp woodland.The flowers are violet,sometimes white and unlike those of the Field and Small Scabious the outer flowers are not noticeably bigger than the inner ones.

Leaf-cutter Bee.

The Leaf-cutter Bee,Megachile, nests in dead wood,holes in plant stems,cliffs,and old walls.They cut out discs of leaves,particularly from roses,and glue them together using saliva to build cells in which their larvae live

The Leaf-cutter Bee can be seen from late spring to August and feeds solely on pollen and nectar.

This bee could be mistaken for a Honey Bee although the underside of the abdomen is orange.There are seven extant species of leaf-cutter bee in the UK which are very difficult to tell apart.It is a common species in the south of England.

The male does not collect pollen and the following photos are of a female.They collect pollen in pollen baskets that are situated on the underside of the abdomen.

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