By Suzanne Rex, Conservation & Volunteer Assistant
I began working at the Bumblebee Conservation Trust in February 2016, answering a number of enquiries and helping out in the office. Starting this job with little knowledge about bumblebees and other pollinators, I have been required to research a great deal of information for email replies. This opened my eyes to the huge diversity and importance of pollinators. One group of bees which I found particularly interesting were Leaf-cutter bees, which is why I decided to write a blog about them.
Leaf-cutter bee (Megachile sp.) in a nest. Photo: Anne Donelly
As well as the social living bumblebees and honeybees, there are over 225 species of Solitary bees pollinating the UK. They are called solitary bees as they have no social caste and basically fend for themselves and their offspring. Leaf-cutter bees belong to the Megachilidae family, and are a fantastic pollinating group for a variety of fruit, veg and other plants including wildflowers.