[Babstreefern]

Hope you guys can help .  My next door allotment friend saw, what she thought was a honey bee (not sure), which seemed to be carrying a section of a leaf under its belly , it had cut a circular section of the leaf from the plant .  Can anyone out there tell me what insect it actually was

[Yorkie]

Leaf cutter bee sounds a likely culprit.

They like roses in particular 

[Spana]

I think they find a hole/tunnel in the ground, cut a bit of leaf, roll it up in their tunnel and lay and egg in each roll-up :unsure:I think

[mumofstig]

a bee and a roll up.......... brings some very strange images to mind

[Spana]

Well who would deny them their only pleasure

[Arbutus]

Hope you guys can help .  My next door allotment friend saw, what she thought was a honey bee (not sure), which seemed to be carrying a section of a leaf under its belly , it had cut a circular section of the leaf from the plant .  Can anyone out there tell me what insect it actually was

Leaf cutter bees are really delightful little insects.

Like 90% of all our bees they are solitary (not hive or swarm forming) and create little nests using the circles of leaves that they cut. They seem to like using Roses and other members of that family in particular - they always target the Amelanchiers in our garden for instance. Each female only lays 30 to 40 eggs, so you never see them in large numbers.

Have a look at the Leafcutter Bee info on here:

http://www.moraybeekeepers.co.uk/solitary_bees.htm
 

[evie2]

Have a look at the Leafcutter Bee info on here:

http://www.moraybeekeepers.co.uk/solitary_bees.htm
 
[/quote

I've just gone on the suggested site, it fantastic.  I have a blue plant (don't know the name) beside our largest pond and the bees love it!  I sit with my grand daughter watching them,  they're fascinating. I think a project making bee homes is called for

[8doubles]

That was worth a look , the strange black fly i saw on a flower this afternoon was a carpenter bee and the bees that are burrowing under the pear tree are miners.

Learning all the time.