by Astra Palmer

Have you ever seen a leaf that looks like swiss cheese? Likely a leaf cutter bee has stopped by- but not for a snack! 

Leaf cutter bees (Megachile periherta) are a Pacfic Northwest native pollinator that has a unique way in which they create their nests. These bees are solitary, cavity nesters, meaning that a single female bee will find a pre-existing small cavity for her young to develop in.  

Male Western Leaf Cutter bees are bright yellow with green eyes, while female Western Leaf Cutter bees have patchier yellow color and dark black eyes. Can you tell which of these bees is which?

When the female bee finds a suitable cavity to make her nest, she’ll be on the hunt for some nice furnishings- leaves! Small ovals are cut from leaves to cushion and insulate the nest over winter. Before sealing off the nest, the female bee leaves each of her young a tiny “loaf” of pollen for them to feed on before they emerge the next summer. The leaves she visits might look a bit like swiss cheese, but luckily, it’s only cosmetic- most plants will survive.

Leaf cutter bees may not be snacking on your plants’ leaves, but they are pollinating their flowers! Leaf cutter bees are renowned for their efficiency as pollinators. Unlike the typical honeybee, leaf cutter bees do not gather pollen on their hind legs, but rather on their abdomen. This means that each time a leaf cutter bee “comes in for landing” on a flower, some pollen lands on the flower too, reliably pollinating the plant! 

These beneficial pollinators can be supported in Pierce County by installing rain gardens, creating pollinator hedgerows, and planting native plants.