Busy Bees

Months back, Dawn bought me a bamboo bee house from Aldi and up until today it's been uninhabited. Not anymore as a colony of Leaf Cutter bees (Megachile sp.) have taken it over.

Nestled between a thornless Bramble, climbing Rose, Burberry, Pyracantha and Purple Loosestrife the bamboo bee home is pretty well placed against the fence.

One of at least 5 bees using the bamboo.

There are certainly plenty of "homes" to choose from.

And some are worth investigating.

The choice is endless.

One of the bees emerging having taken a a leaf in.

and then returning again with more bits of leaf.

Others came to look and were checking out new homes.

Some of which were.........

...........already taken.

Another homes in. 

And this one has its eye on a nice bamboo...

....right next to a sealed one.

The rose leaf in the middle is about to be cut.

And within.........

.........under 4 seconds.......

.......their was a chunk missing.

It certainly didn't need to travel far for leaf parts.

And having placed the leaf deep inside the nest, it reappears with a bit still in its mandibles.

It isn't rose leaves, this a leaf of a Purple Loosestrife with two cuts in it another behind.

And a rose leaf  with 3 or 4 bits missing. 

And a close-up of a sealed nest.

More Leaf Cutter Bees Here.