Nest Building video of Leafcutter Bee. Step by step slides of the red leafcutter bee, bringing leaves and fighting off a wasp to protect and build a nest.
Nest Building video of Leafcutter Bee.
It was very fortunate and exciting that this could be captured on camera, video would of been much better. The bees work very fast and while been on watch could only capture the bee bringing the leaf almost at the nest. The bee took a while to glue the round cut leaf with its saliva to the sides of the leafy nest. Making cells divisions with the leaf. Going off to collect pollen on the nearby cosmos flowers. Then filling the pollen in the cell, lays an egg, then seals the cell with a new cut leaf. The nibbling and sticking of the leaf could be heard, for quit a while. Using her nippers to seal. The Leafcutter Bee carries on in this way until the nest is done. Seals the entrances off finally with about 3 leaves. The leaves will dry out, but new bees hatch after winter. Life cycle of the leaf cutter bee.
She had an encounter with an inquisitive wasp, and really threatened the wasp, until it left.
Then the leafcutter bee, continued to build the nest. This took at least 2 days per nest. She had a leafy nests next to it.
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