Hi all,I am wanting to attract Leafcutter Bees to my garden,I already have four Bee homes that are nearly all full up,but they are all Mason Bees,I want to make another, for Leafcutters,does anyone know if they have to be a certain height?,the ones I have are about 60cm from the ground,and how big do the holes have to be?.Thanks,any advice would be much appreciated.
Leafcutter Bees
Last year I had 3 sets of chimes ruined from some kind of bee that blocked up the end of the tube, then after doing all that work, they chewed through the thread and the tube hit the ground. Could this be what you are looking for? Only spotted one once and did not get a good look at it. Checked all my chimes and stuck a rod thru them to get rid of the leaves.
Leafcutters love Roses, might do some good to grow a few of them around.
Crown Bees has so much information on our native bees, and please, please, please if you see them plugging up anything don't kill them we need them to survive, especially with the European honeybees in peril!
http://www.crownbees.com/product/leafcutter-bees-leafguardian/
Thanks for the informative link Id_gardenermd,last year I tried to get a Bee ID just like the one in the photo of your link,so thanks again I now know it was a Leafcutter.
Leafcutters also use Lilacs here. I have 5/16 holes specifically for Mason bees, but I have had more leafcutters actually use them. I have had them use holes as small as an outside electrical outlet, mounted less than 2ft off the ground. They seem to find & claim their holes early, late spring early summer. I would use various size holes 1/4 plus or minus. You can drill them or bundle bamboo.