Leaf Cutter Bee - "re-housing" help needed!

[SEJax]

Hi,

Just found this site today and I hope someone can help me.

Yesterday we spotted what we first thought was a wasp but now believe is a bee flying into a hole in the mortar of the brick extension we have to our kitchen. The hole is where an ariel cable used to enter the house. The cable was taken out but the hole was left. Not knowing what we were looking at we did an internet search and thought we had a masonry bee.

However, this afternoon I found lots of round bits of leaves inside the hole (I didn't disturb it, one had blown out onto the mortar and the rest are piled up very neatly in there!) so I now assume we have a Leaf Cutter bee - though from what I've read they tend to live in wood. Would they take up residence in a cavity wall??

The few questions I have are:

1) Are we right in thinking this is likely to be a leaf cutter bee? To our untrained eye it looks like a wasp - maybe an inch or less long? I'm desperately trying to get a photo but the darn thing moves too fast!

2) If it is a leaf cutter bee is it likely to harm people? We have a three year old who plays on the patio a lot and the hole in the wall is right by our patio door so no way of avoiding movement past the nest.

3) We're planning some building work to the kitchen next year. I believe that masonry bees can take up to a year to hatch out. Are leaf cutters the same? As we're likely to be hacking through the wall where the nest is what should we watch for to ensure the babies have flown the nest and what can we do to encourage the bees to take up residence elsewhere in the garden?

Sorry for so many questions. I didn't want to do anything to harm the bee through sheer ignorance!

Thanks

Jackie

[Jason Green]

Evening Jackie, and welcome to WAB!

Yes, sounds like classic Leaf-cutter Bee behaviour. I don't know if they sting - I doubt it, but don't quote me on that! I wouldn't know if they've laid eggs yet, but you could always block-up the other holes with blue-tac as a preventative measure.

A selection of cut-canes about six inches long and tied together and housed somewhere accessible should give them a home they'll use away from where you don't want them.


Leaf-cutter Bee (Credit: Africa)

Good luck!

Take care,

Jason

[Hedera]

Leafcutter bees can sting, but only when severely provoked.
As it has been working the hole for some time it will have made several cells of leaf pieces; in each one it lays one egg and leaves some pollen for food when it hatches.
These will hatch, the last one first.
As Jason suggests leave a bundle of hollow canes or a flowerpot full of sandy soil handy. It's unusual to have one in masonry, but I have got them in holes in concrete fence posts.

[heshpash]

Originally Posted by Hedera

Leafcutter bees can sting, but only when severely provoked.
As it has been working the hole for some time it will have made several cells of leaf pieces; in each one it lays one egg and leaves some pollen for food when it hatches.
These will hatch, the last one first.
As Jason suggests leave a bundle of hollow canes or a flowerpot full of sandy soil handy. It's unusual to have one in masonry, but I have got them in holes in concrete fence posts.

Hi, this is a first time posting. I have leaf cutter bees building a nest in an old wall on my patio, (So i did a Web search and found you nice people)The BBQ stands directly underneath the nest, will the heat cause them or us any problems, as it is only a few feet away from my table. I would hate to hurt them as they have worked so hard.

[Jason Green]

Afternoon HP and welcome to WAB, too!

Not sure - is it in front of the nest, or a couple of foot in front? You could always move the BBQ a couple of foot to the left or right, should you be able to (if it isn't brick-built!). Of course, you could place a few flowers (for nectaring) or a plant with big leaves (for chewing) near the nest but away from your BBQ to entice it in a safer direction, thus avoiding it?

Not sure what else to suggest. They should be OK with it...

[heshpash]

Hi Jason
The BBQ is directly in front of the nest. I will try and move things around. The idea regarding the plant on the wall is a good one, I will do that too. Thankyou. for your help and ideas. I have never been in such close contact with bees, it's fascinating to watch them

[SEJax]

Thanks very much for the replies. We don't seem to have the bee flying in and out anymore - I know they die around this time so assume she's done her work.

When would it be OK to do work on the wall she appears to have nested in? Masonry bees seem to leave the nest in Spring time. Is that the same for Leaf Cutters? If so we'll schedule our building work for early summer (to avoid hurting the babies but get the work done before daughters of Leaf Cutter decide our wall would be an ideal spot for their eggs!)

Thanks again

Jackie

[Jason Green]

Yes, if you postpone any work until next year then you'll have done a good deed for these bees! Still, if the work won't involve bringing the wall down then you may still get to work around them...

[queby]

Hi, I'm a first-time poster too.. We have what I assume are leafcutter bees. We have a pot planted with trailing fuschias and noticed something green seemingly flying underneath it. On further investigation it turned out to be leafcutter bees with their bits of leaf (where would we be without the internet!) The bee has been burrowing upwards via the drainage hole in the bottom of the pot. I lifted the plant out and noticed the folded leaves in the channel she's made. My question is.... normally we would throw away these plants at the end of the summer. Should I just leave them over the winter and hope that they will hatch out? Should I add water? Any advice gratefully received. Many thanks.

[Hedera]

A modicum of water from the top shouldn't hurt the cells: rain would be normal anyway. Keep the plants over winter in a sheltered place (fuschias will come back next spring if you cut them back a bit and keep them covered with fleece) and the bees should hatch out next spring.