Flat-tailed Leaf-cutter Bee Megachile mendica Cresson, 1878    
Kingdom Animalia   >   Phylum Arthropoda   >   Class Insecta   >   Order Hymenoptera   >   Family Megachilidae   >   Genus Megachile   

Status:

The most common leaf-cutter in most of Eastern North America.

Description:

It carries pollen on the underside of its abdomen and those hairs are distinctly tinged with orange, something found in only a few other eastern Megachile. (S. Droege, pers. comm.)

Nests are categorized as hollow or pithy stems/existing cavities, and social behavior is categorized as solitary to communal (Selfridge et al., 2017).

There are 50 records in the project database.

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A male Megachile mendica, a type of leaf cutting bee, in Frederick Co., Maryland (8/7/2012). Photo by Richard Orr. (MBP list)

A female Flat-tailed Leaf-cutter Bee in Prince George's Co., Maryland (7/19/2014). Photo by Jesse Christopherson. (MBP list)

A female Flat-tailed Leaf-cutter Bee in Baltimore City, Maryland (6/1/2009). Determined by John S. Ascher/BugGuide. Photo by Thomas Wilson. (MBP list)

Flat-tailed Leaf-cutter Bee in Baltimore Co., Maryland (6/30/2020). (c) Frode Jacobsen, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by Frode Jacobsen. (MBP list)

Flat-tailed Leaf-cutter Bee in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland (7/22/2014). (c) Hans Holbrook, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by Hans Holbrook. (MBP list)

Megachile mendica, male, Allegany Co., Maryland (5/2012). Photo by USGS PWRC. (MBP list)

A male Flat-tailed Leaf-cutter Bee in Allegany Co., Maryland (6/15/2014). Photo by USGS PWRC. (MBP list)

A Flat-tailed Leaf-cutter Bee in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland (7/19/2015). Determined by John S. Ascher/BugGuide. Photo by Bill Hubick. (MBP list)

A Flat-tailed Leaf-cutter Bee in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland (7/19/2015). Determined by John S. Ascher/BugGuide. Photo by Bill Hubick. (MBP list)

A Flat-tailed Leaf-cutter Bee in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland (7/19/2015). Determined by John S. Ascher/BugGuide. Photo by Bill Hubick. (MBP list)

A Flat-tailed Leaf-cutter Bee in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland (7/19/2015). Determined by John S. Ascher/BugGuide. Photo by Bill Hubick. (MBP list)

A Flat-tailed Leaf-cutter Bee in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland (7/19/2015). Determined by John S. Ascher/BugGuide. Photo by Bill Hubick. (MBP list)

A male Flat-tailed Leaf-cutter Bee in Prince George's Co., Maryland. Photo by USGS PWRC. (MBP list)

A male Flat-tailed Leaf-cutter Bee in Prince George's Co., Maryland. Photo by USGS PWRC. (MBP list)

A male Flat-tailed Leaf-cutter Bee in Prince George's Co., Maryland. Photo by USGS PWRC. (MBP list)

A Flat-tailed Leaf-cutter Bee in Frederick Co., Maryland (8/21/2018). Photo by Katie Woods. (MBP list)

Flat-tailed Leaf-cutter Bee in Montgomery Co., Maryland (8/21/2020). (c) Jane Hartman, all rights reserved. Photo by Jane Hartman. (MBP list)

Flat-tailed Leaf-cutter Bee in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland (7/6/2022). (c) Timothy Reichard, all rights reserved. Photo by Timothy Reichard. (MBP list)

Flat-tailed Leaf-cutter Bee in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland (7/6/2022). (c) Timothy Reichard, all rights reserved. Photo by Timothy Reichard. (MBP list)

Flat-tailed Leaf-cutter Bee in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland (7/6/2022). (c) Timothy Reichard, all rights reserved. Photo by Timothy Reichard. (MBP list)

A female Flat-tailed Leaf-cutter Bee in Prince George's Co., Maryland (3/29/2016). Image processed by Amanda Robinson. Photo by USGS PWRC. (MBP list)

A female Flat-tailed Leaf-cutter Bee in Prince George's Co., Maryland (3/29/2016). Image processed by Amanda Robinson. Photo by USGS PWRC. (MBP list)

A female Flat-tailed Leaf-cutter Bee in Prince George's Co., Maryland (3/29/2016). Image processed by Amanda Robinson. Photo by USGS PWRC. (MBP list)

Flat-tailed Leaf-cutter Bee in Worcester Co., Maryland (7/25/2019). (c) David Cappaert, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by David Cappaert via iNaturalist. (MBP list)

Flat-tailed Leaf-cutter Bee in Worcester Co., Maryland (7/25/2019). (c) David Cappaert, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by David Cappaert via iNaturalist. (MBP list)


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