What to look for: Dark with orange-tinged hairs on their underside and an impressive set of jaws
Favourite plants: Wildflowers
Making a nest: Natural holes or bee hotels
When active: Summer
Where seen: Across the UK
Patchwork leafcutter bees
The patchwork leafcutter bees are a solitary bee found across the UK. These docile bees are dark in colour with orange-tinged hairs on their underside, making them easily mistaken for honeybees. These industrious pollinators use their impressive jaws to cut discs of leaf from plants, which the females mix with saliva to separate individual larvae in the nest. Leafcutters are cavity nesters and seek out bee hotels or natural holes to lay their larvae.