(Megachile spp.)
Overview • Description • Distribution • Taxonomy
Description |
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Megachile bees have a stocky, gray or black, never metallic, often fairly hairy body with white stripes on the abdomen. Most are small, ¼″ to ⅜″ (7 to 9 mm) long. On the first segment of the rear part of the body (T1) the transition from the forward-facing and upward-facing surfaces is abrupt, not gradual. On males, the rear of the abdomen turns down abruptly and is squared off, not gently tapered. On females, there is a brush-like tuft of pollen collecting hairs (scopa) on the underside of the abdomen. The claws at the end of each leg do not have a small pad (arolium) between them. Each claw has a small tooth near the base. |
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Distribution |
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Sources |
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9/21/2022 | ||||
Taxonomy |
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Order |
Hymenoptera (ants, bees, wasps, and sawflies) | ||
Suborder |
Apocrita (narrow-waisted wasps, ants, and bees) | ||
Infraorder |
Aculeata (ants, bees, and stinging wasps) | ||
Superfamily |
Apoidea (bees and apoid wasps) | ||
Family |
Megachilidae (mason, leaf-cutter, carder, and resin bees) | ||
Subfamily |
Megachilinae | ||
Tribe |
Megachilini | ||
Subordinate Taxa |
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alfalfa leafcutting bee (Megachile rotundata) bellflower resin bee (Megachile campanulae) black-and-gray leaf-cutter bee (Megachile melanophaea) broad-handed leafcutting bee (Megachile latimanus) flat-tailed leaf-cutter bee (Megachile mendica) frigid leaf-cutter bee (Megachile frigida) golden-tailed leafcutter bee (Megachile relativa) leaf-cutter bee (Megachile dakotensis) leaf-cutter bee (Megachile nivalis) Los Angeles leafcutter bee (Megachile angelarum) patchwork leafcutter bee (Megachile centuncularis) petulant leaf-cutter bee (Megachile petulans) pugnacious leaf-cutter bee (Megachile pugnata) robust sunflower leafcutter bee (Megachile fortis) sculptured resin bee (Megachile sculpturalis) short leafcutter bee (Megachile brevis) silver-tailed petalcutter (Megachile montivaga) small-handed leaf-cutter bee (Megachile gemula) Texas leaf-cutter bee (Megachile texana) unarmed leafcutter bee (Megachile inermis) western leafcutter (Megachile perihirta) |
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Synonyms |
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Common Names |
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leafcutter and resin bees leafcutter bees leaf-cutter, mortar, and resin bees leafcutting bees |
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Glossary
Scopa
A brush-like tuft of hairs on the legs or underside of the abdomen of a bee used to collect pollen.
Visitor Photos |
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Luciearl |
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Bee (leaf cutter?) on common milkweed |
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There was a bee frenzy among my Golden Rod patch. So many different types of species, I couldn't count them. | ![]() |
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Alfredo Colon |
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Babette Kis |
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Megachile spp. leaf cutter bee |
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Luciearl |
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There was a bee frenzy among my Golden Rod patch. So many different types of species, I couldn't count them. | ![]() |
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MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos |
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Slideshows |
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Visitor Videos |
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Other Videos |
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Visitor Sightings |
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Report a sighting of this insect. |
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This button not working for you? Simply email us at info@MinnesotaSeasons.com. Be sure to include a location. |
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Luciearl 7/1/2023 |
Location: Fairview Twp, Cass Cty. Bee (leaf cutter?) on common milkweed |
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Babette Kis 9/22/2022 |
Location: Barnes Prairie, Racine Co., WI |
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Alfredo Colon 8/2/2022 |
Location: Albany, NY |
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Babette Kis 7/24/2022 |
Location: Barnes Prairie, Racine Co., WI |
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Alfredo Colon August 2019 |
Location: Slinger, Wisconsin |
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Luciearl 8/2/2018 |
Location: Lake Shore, MN There was a bee frenzy among my Golden Rod patch. So many different types of species, I couldn't count them. |
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MinnesotaSeasons.com Sightings |
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Created 8/6/2018
Last Updated: