Megachile Megachile are commonly known as Leaf-

cutter Bees. Seven species are found in

Norfolk. Their mandibles work like scissors to

cut pieces out of leaves or petals to form their

nests. Several species make their nests in

crevices or holes in timber whereas others use

holes in sandy ground. Those requiring timber

tend to be absent from the coastal strip,

whereas those which nest in the ground often

have a coastal bias in their distribution. All

have two submarginal cells on the forewing

and the tongue is quite long. Their name

comes from the long tarsal claws which lack

an ariolum between. Their characteristic

posture, with tail in the air on alighting, makes

these bees easy to spot.

It is often possible to identify Leaf-cutter Bees

from good photographs. The scopa hairs

beneath the abdomen differ in colour

between species, but the scopa needs to be

seen without pollen. Males can be

distinguished from females by the male’s lack

of a scopa and their longer antennae. They

emerge about a week earlier than females

and for the first few days, before it fades,

their hair is bright ginger-brown. The males of

three species have distinctive white swellings

on the front tarsi and the male of another

species has very green eyes. Bees in the genus

Coelioxys are brood parasites of Megachile.

Megachile centuncularis female.

Megachile ligniseca female cutting a leaf.

Thriplow Cambridgeshire 13th August 2014

Megachile centuncularis

Females have pale hair on the clypeus and

thorax, but there are some dark hairs on top

of the head. The abdomen has pale marginal

bands at the edges of tergites 1-5, with hair

length decreasing from T1-T5. There are

bands of sparser, longer hairs on T1 and T2.

The scopa is entirely orange and the hairs

protrude outwards making them visible from

above. Males have pale hair on the clypeus, a

mixture of dark and pale hairs on the top of

the head and thorax. The abdomen bears

similar marginal bands to those in females.

Flight times June-August

Distribution One of the commonest Leaf-

cutters in the county, but there are few

records from the west. Scarce on the coast,

though reported from Scolt Head.

Habitat Heathland, commons, gardens,

waysides, Breckland rides.

Flowers visited Garden Agyranthemum

(Asteraceae), Alkanet, Bramble, Crown Daisy,

Fleabane, Green Coneflower, Hemp agrimony,

Lamb’s-ear, Lesser Knapweed, Meadow

Cranesbill, Meadow Vetchling, Purple

Loosestrife, Ragwort,

Nesting Nests are made in a variety of cavities

in wood, buildings or hollow stems, including

‘bee hotels’. Rose leaves or petals are often

used in gardens.

Parasites Coelioxys inermis.

Megachile centuncularis female taking nectar

from a garden Coneflower. Weybourne 2nd

August 2015

Megachile centuncularis male on garden

Marigold. Weybourne 3rd July 2013

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Megachile centuncularis

Pre 19801980 – 19992000 – 2014

Megachile cirumcincta

Females have long body hair which is black on

the head and also on tergites 4-6. The scopa is

brown at the base and black at the tip. Males

have white clypeal hairs and an expanded

white area of cuticle on the front tarsi.

Flight times May-August

Distribution This is the rarest Leaf-cutter in

the county, but there are recent records from

dunes at Caister and at Great Yarmouth (TS

2007 & 2015). There are also records from

Horsey Dunes 1958, Scolt Head 1975 and from

the Brecks 1998.

Habitat Coastal dunes

Flowers visited Bird’s-foot Trefoil.

Nesting Nests in sandy ground. Not observed

in Norfolk.

Parasites Coelioxys spp.

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Megachile circumcincta

Pre 19801980 – 19992000 – 2014

Megachile leachella

Females have pale body hairs with a tint of

brown on the head and top of the thorax.

There are complete white marginal bands on

all tergites and a characteristic pair of white

hair patches on the last tergite. The small size

of this species is also a clue to identification.

Megachile leachella female on Wild

Mignonette. Weybourne Camp 12th August

2015

Males have white hair on the clypeus and

orange-brown hair on the top of the head,

thorax and abdomen. There are complete

marginal white bands on the tergites. T6 has a

covering of pale hairs and bears short

terminal spines. The eyes are a vivid pale

green. They are often observed basking on

sandy ground close to nest sites.

Megachile leachella males showing green

eyes; Holkham 8th Jule 2009.

Flight times June-September

Distribution This is largely a coastal species,

but there is a record from Roydon Common

1996 and one from Santon Warren 1986.

Habitat Sites with loose sand or sand dunes

where small sandy cliffs are present for

nesting. The north-east cliff faces are not used

but places with loose sand at the cliff-top can

be, for example West Runton beach car park.

Flowers visited Greater Bird’s-foot Trefoil,

Bramble, Catsear, Charlock, Crucifer sp.,

Fleabane, Haresfoot Clover, Hawkweed,

Heather (Ling), Oxford Ragwort, Ragwort,

Restharrow, Sheepsbit, Wild Mignonette.

Nesting Nests are made individually on

sloping or level sandy surfaces.

Parasites A small form of Coelioxys

mandibularis attacks this species in large dune

systems on the coasts of Kent, Sussex, South

Wales and Lancashire but it has not been

recorded in Norfolk.

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Megachile leachella

Pre 19801980 – 19992000 – 2014

Megachile ligniseca

Females are large with pale brown hair on the

clypeus and thorax and black hair on the top

of the head. There are long pale hairs on T1

and T2 and pale marginal bands. The scopa is

white anteriorly, grading to pale orange at the

back. The dark hairs on the surface of the last

tergite are flattened against the body and the

tip of the abdomen has a small indent. Males

have pale hairs on the clypeus, pale brown

hairs on the top of the head and thorax and

pale marginal bands on the abdomen

consisting of moderately long hairs. The

abdomen is almost parallel sided and has a

notch at the tip.

Megachile ligniseca female. Thriplow

Cambridgeshire 11th August 2014

Megachile ligniseca male (faded) at nest hole

in bee hotel. Thriplow Cambridgeshire 19th

July 2015

Flight times June-September

Distribution Moderately common in the east

and in the Brecks. No records from the north-

west or the Fens.

Habitat Commons, heathland, river valleys,

mature dunes, gardens, open Breckland and

brownfield sites.

Flowers visited Garden Aster, Bramble,

Burdock, Creeping Thistle , Dandelion,Field

Scabious, Fleabane, Bell Heather, Lesser

Knapweed, Melancholy Thistle, Purple

Loosestrife, Spear Thistle.

Nesting Nests in hollows in wood or stems.

Parasites Coelioxys elongata observed at a

garden nest site in Cambridgeshire.

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Megachile ligniseca

Pre 19801980 – 19992000 – 2014

Megachile maritima

Females are large and broad with brownish

hairs on the clypeus and thorax and varying

amounts of black hair on the head, thorax and

abdomen. The scopa has whitish hairs. Males

are large and broad with ginger-brown hair

when fresh. The fore tarsi are expanded with

a white cuticle fringed by white hairs. The

hind tibia and tarsi are swollen. Males move

rapidly from flower to flower and sometimes

defend territories.

Megachile maritima male on Bramble.

Weybourne Camp 9th July 2015

Megachile maritima male (faded), grooming

antenna. Winterton Dunes 17th August 2015.

This bee repeatedly returned to the stem

from which he launched attacks on other bees

when they alighted on nearby Bramble

flowers. His target included bumblebees

which he often clung to as the pair fell to the

ground.

Flight times June-August

Distribution A coastal species also occurring

at sandy inland sites near Norwich and in the

Brecks.

Habitat Coastal dunes and inland sites with

bare sand.

Nesting Nests in sandy ground, sometimes in

aggregations (SF)

Flowers visited Bramble, Haresfoot Clover,

Sheepsbit, Restharrow, Ragwort, Vipers

Bugloss, Greater Knapweed.

Parasites Coelioxys conoidea (qv).

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Megachile maritima

Pre 19801980 – 19992000 – 2014

Megachile versicolor

Females are similar in size and appearance to

M.centuncularis. The scopa is orange but with

dark hairs on sternites 5 and 6. The marginal

bands on the abdomen are less prominent

than in M.centuncularis and the hairs on T6

are flattened against the body rather than

being erect. Males are also very similar to

M.centuncularis and need microscopic

examination of the sternites to separate. They

have more reddish apical tarsal segments (SF).

Megachile versicolor female on Spear Thistle.

Kelling Heath 15th August 2011.

Megachile versicolor (probably) male on

Alkanet. Kelling Heath 29th June 2013

Flight times Late May-August

Distribution Widespread but not common.

Habitat Found in areas of flowery grassland

with scrub, including mature dunes such as

Scolt Head and Winterton. It also occurs in

woodland rides including Swanton Novers

Great Wood and shrubby heathland such as

Kelling Heath.

Flowers visited Alkanet, Bird’s-foot trefoil,

Meadow Vetchling, Spear Thistle.

Nesting Usually uses hollow stems (SF).

Parasites Coelioxys inermis is known to be a

cleptoparasite.

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Megachile versicolor

Pre 19801980 – 19992000 – 2014

Megachile willughbiella

Females are large and broad with brownish

hair. They differ from M. maritima in

generally having less dark hair on the thorax

and abdomen. Both have erect hairs on T6.

The scopa of M. willughbiella is pale orange

but there are black hairs around the edge, and

on the last two segments, visible from above.

M. ligniseca differs in usually being larger with

flat hairs on T6 with a notch at the end, and

has few or no black hairs on the end or edge

of the scopa. Males have a modified front

tibia and tarsus, similar to that of male M.

maritima but not so large and they lack a

swollen hind tibia. The hair colour of the

upper parts of the body is ginger-brown.

Megachile willughbiella female on garden

Sweet Pea. Weybourne 20th July 2012.

Megachile willughbiella male on garden

Speedwell. East Ruston Vicarage Garden 20th

June 2010.

Flight times June-September

Distribution Widespread and fairly common.

Habitat Heathland, commons, gardens, river

valleys, Breckland.

Flowers visited Bird’s-foot Trefoil, Bramble,

Garden Sweet Pea, Harebell, Everlasting Pea,

garden Speedwell, , Field Scabious.

Nesting Uses a wide variety of cavities (SF).

Parasites Coelioxyx spp.

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Megachile willughbiella

Pre 19801980 – 19992000 – 2014