Female patchwork leaf-cutter bee taking a break and a marmalade hoverfly in a Ladder garden

Coming back in from my morning coffee, I noticed this little lady seemingly taking a rest from her exertions. You can see between her legs the slice of leaf she's carrying.

Patchwork leaf-cutter bees are one of our most common garden leaf-cutters. As their name suggests the females are known for cutting out sections of leaves which they use to build cells for their young to develop in. They are fascinating bees to watch and will happily make their homes in solitary bee hotels positioned in a sunny spot in the garden.

If you spot a bee surfing on a green disk in mid-air – you’ve more than likely spotted a female leaf-cutter bee. The females relentlessly collect sections of leaf which they chew into a pulp and mix with saliva to create the walls of a cosy cell for their offspring. Inside each cell she will lay an egg and provide it with a mixture of pollen and nectar on which to feed. She then seals up the cell before moving on to the next one, before finally plugging the hole to the whole cavity with more leaf pulp. Her young will develop over winter and emerge the following year.

Text from www.bumblebeeconservation.org/patchworkleafcutterbee

Below is a photo the rose next to where the video was taken and from which our leaf cutter bea probably cut the leaf.

The colourful little hoverfly in the video is a marmalade hoverfly, apparently a great pollinator for our gardens.

More at www.rspb.org.uk