Leaf Cutter Bees: Pollinators with Purpose in Your Garden

Design and InstallationGarden Caregarden TriviaLighting and IrrigationPlant Health Care
Written By Peter Morris

The Megachilidae

 Many clients, during the summer season call to say they found these perfectly cut out holes in the plant leaves !  A mystery no more !  -  these are actually made by a group of bees !!! 

Typical leaf cut out in roses

 A common solitary garden bee that collects pieces of foliage to line its nest with.  They use cut leaves to construct nests in cavities (mostly in rotting wood). They create multiple cells in the nest, each with a single larva and pollen for the larva to eat. 

Bee lining her nest with leaves !

 Leaves selected by the bees are usually soft, thin, herbaceous, wide, and hairless.  They especially like leaves from a low light location which makes the leaf more supple.  Roses, Wisteria, Cercis (redbud), and dogwood are top on their list.  They prefer plants that are 3’ or more above the ground.They are important native pollinators of North America - wildflowers, fruits, vegetables and other crops such as alfalfa and blueberries. The also love hyssop (Agastache). 

Agastache planted in a Plant Specialists garden

Call Plant Specialists TODAY !

We have experts that can detect if the damage on your leaves are from bees or not !

But if they are

 all you can do is admire their ingenious nest building skills !

– they are protected by NYS law

PLANT SPECIALISTS

GREENING NEW YORK FOR OVER 52 YEARS !

 Article written by our Staff Horticulturist, Peter B Morris, BSc, MSc, MBAAll photographs used with permission @SHUTTERSTOCK

Peter Morris

Peter was born and raised on a beautiful green island in the midst of a tropical rainforest. He was introduced into the world of plants at the age of six when his grandmother, an avid Spanish gardener herself, asked him to help her grow seeds for her pepper garden. He was hooked! By the time he was a teen, he had his own rose and orchid collection numbering in the hundreds. Botany was in his blood, and that is what he set out to study.

His passion brought him to NY in the late seventies to further his education. His tenacity allowed him to work full time at Plant Specialists while he completed a MS in Plant Biology. As a manager at the time he felt unsatisfied with his knowledge of business and business processes. Peter felt compelled to learn, so he then pursued and completed an MBA in Quality Management within a few short years.

Peter’s other passion is teaching. His natural ability is quickly consumed by our staff in all subjects in Botany, Horticulture, and Landscaping. He created an immense reference library of more than 3,500 plants providing an invaluable resource for our staff.

Peter’s breadth of knowledge and wisdom allows him to effectively diagnose the needs of plants. Sometimes just by walking into a garden he can create a prescription that fixes even the hardest issue. He is our Staff Botanist, Diagnostician, and all around Mentor. Recently, he has put his immense knowledge and skills into developing a new department that focuses on Plant Healthcare. As he puts it, “Magic through Science”. The PHC staff that surround him have avidly consumed his teachings. Substantially developing their own plant wisdom, many have taken on difficult plant health issues with spectacular results.

Plant Healthcare has been an instant success with customers! The proper treatment of insects and diseases including Organic methods has made pest control a necessity for every plant. Correcting hormonal imbalances caused by planting in containers or refurbishing soils leached of nutrients by irrigation systems are big challenges PHC has become quite comfortable addressing. The scientific approach to the complex demands of keeping plants healthy in our harsh city environment has made many a customer say WOW!

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