More on leaf-cutting bees

While walking along Okanagan Lake in Kelowna today, I came across an interesting bee species and shot it with my Zfc Nikon camera and 24-70 mm lens.  It is the first time I used the lens for closeup work, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that it does have a modest macro ability.  

At home, I perused my images on the computer and noticed that the bee I had photographed had features similar to one I photographed earlier while in Alberta (see blog here).  It turns out it was a leaf-cutter bee, the second one I had seen in as many weeks.  This one was particularly interesting though because the ventral aspect of the abdomen was yellow.

In the previously mentioned blog, I had discovered that these bees collect pollen on the undersides of their abdomen.  The one I had photographed earlier either did not have any or it was hidden from the camera.  The one I shot today clearly has a ventral load of the stuff.  I thought that was pretty cool.

The University of Florida says, "Leafcutting bees are important pollinators of many wildflowers. They also pollinate fruits and vegetables and are used by commercial growers to pollinate blueberries, onions, carrots and alfalfa. Leafcutting bees use the leaves of almost any broadleaf deciduous plant to construct their nests."

Isn't that amazing!

Thanks for reading.

Eric Svendsen     www.ericspix.com