Megachile willughbiella

Megachile willughbiella, a widespread species of leafcutter bee, is commonly found across Europe and Asia. They thrive in gardens, meadows, and woodland edges where suitable flowering plants are abundant.

This solitary bee is noted for using cut leaf fragments to construct its linear, tube-shaped brood nests. The female neatly slices circular and oval pieces from leaves to wall off individual chambers for her eggs.

Unlike honeybees, Megachile willughbiella is a strictly solitary bee species. Each female constructs and provisions her own individual nest without a queen or a worker caste.

While you might notice neatly cut holes in the leaves of your roses or other garden plants, the leafcutter bee does not cause any lasting harm to the plant. The removed leaf pieces are solely used to construct their nests, and the plants easily recover.