Insect and Spider Identification: CLOSED: don't manage to find an ID of this one.., 1 by wallaby1

wallaby1 wrote:
It's a Leaf Cutter bee, the one with the orange hairs (3rd pic) under the abdomen is the female. The white in the first pic is pollen, although I usually see them with orange pollen. I had a few different types last year but lost the pics, I'm afraid there are a few of these and it might be difficult to distinguish one from another. The male is smaller, and very territorial, he attacks other bees as they try to feed!

Family Megachillinae. Megachile willughbiella I have put in the BugFiles last year, it is quite different to others but there are some very similar. Yours does look like the one I have, it's here again this year.

http://www.bwars.com/Megachile_willbughbiella.htm

http://www.bwars.com/Gallery.htm

The female gathers pollen under the abdomen as she feeds, the anther with pollen on Lupins is at the front of the pouch. I have seen one using it's back legs to rub the pollen off onto it's hairs, I had pics of it doing that last year on a lathyrus matucana.

This is a female.

This message was edited Jun 22, 2008 9:28 PM