Attract Bees - Attract Mason Bees - Patchwork Leafcutter Bee

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.