Saving the small things that run the planet
Silvery Leafcutter Bee
Fast Facts
Latin name: Megachile leachella
Notable feature: Males have bright green eyes.
Conservation Status: Not Evaluated
Where in the UK: Widespread and locally common along the coastline of southern Britain up to Harlech in Wales and Gibraltar point in Lincolnshire.
Silvery Leafcutter Bee (Megachile leachella) © Richie Howard (CC BY 4.0, iNaturalist)
The Silvery Leafcutter Bee is the UK’s smallest leafcutter bee and has a very distinctive appearance with their strongly banded abdomen and silvery appearance. The males in particular are very striking, with their bright green eyes.
- Size: 9mm.
- Life span: Adults on the wing for 3.5 months.
- Diet: Variety of flowers visited but these bees especially like legumes such as bird’s foot trefoils, clovers and rest harrows.
- Reproduction: This species makes solitary nests in large and noisy aggregations in sandy, non-compacted ground. They will line their nests with leaves and petals from bird’s foot trefoils.
- When to see: Late May to early September.
- Population Trend: Stable.
- Threats: Habitat loss.
- Interesting Fact: These bees can often be heard before they are seen, such is the noisiness of their nesting aggregations.
Buglife is helping the recovery of populations of Silvery Leafcutter Bee and other wildlife via our projects and campaigns, including Kernow Wyls – People for Pollinators, Solitary Bee Week and B-Lines, but we need your help!
Buglife B-Lines are an imaginative and beautiful solution to the problem of the loss of flowers and pollinators. B-Lines are a series of ‘insect pathways’ running through our countryside and towns, along which we are restoring and creating a series of wildflower-rich habitat stepping stones. Linking existing wildlife areas together, creating a network, like a railway, that will weave across the UK landscape. More information about B-Lines and how you can help pollinators can be found here.
Join a recording scheme and log your finds – send any records/sightings to BWARS or download the iRecord app and get recording!
Do remember that we rely on donations to continue our work. If you have searched, found and learned about our incredible invertebrates on our website, please do consider Making a Donation, Becoming a Member or maybe even making a purchase in our shop. For more ideas on how to support our work find out how to Get Involved. Thank you 🕷
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