[jaimel134]

Hello,
Looking for a little advice.
Over the weekend I discovered a leaf cutting Bee that had found a hole in my wall and was preparing its nest.
Fair play to the Bee, it collected a leaf every 5 mins Friday through Sunday and disappeared into the hole.

My concerns are what the outcome will be? I have small children and the wall is where we sit mostly. Am I to expect a family of Bees in the near future?

Many thanks

 

[Hops Brewster]

Leafcutters are solitary bees and don't sting. They are no danger to the family. They are native pollinators, so I would leave them alone unless their hole is a problem for your house, in which case you could seal it up. they don't dig new holes, but use existing ones.

the pieces of leaves they bring in are what they use to build their nests. Once the hole is filled, the female will move on to another hole and work on filling it. Once she has laid all her eggs she will go off and die. The new leafcutters will emerge next summer to repeat the cycle.

If you want to provide housing for more leafcutters, you can buy commercially made boards, or take a 4X4 and drill holes about 3/16in diameter in a 1/2in grid pattern.

 

[jaimel134]

Many thanks for the reply and information.