Mating Leafcutter Bees

e6filmuser

This pair was photographed on a horizontal piece of wood, at about my waist height, which had only been in place for about an hour. It was meant to keep deer out of our vegetable and fruit area in the garden. It also proved quite effective at keeping me out.

I ran to the house and collected my camera, which had an unwanted Canon FD x2 TC attached, from an earlier set of test shots. The pair had turned around 180 degrees since I first realised what they were doing. I got in one shot and then clambered to the other side, removing the TC as I went. Twin TTL flash was used.

I was too late to get a further shot with the male present but managed some acceptable ones of the female. This is the only time that I have seen this species mating. I would not post an image of this quality if it was not a rarity. Most surprising was the tiny size of the male.

The first image has had quite a lot of processing to show some detail of the tiny, black male.

Harold

e6filmuser

I'm beginning to wonder if this just looked like mating and was a parasitoid, not a male. This, however, does not match accounts of parasitoids that I can find. Also, the eye structure of the small one is quite different from that of the female.

Harold

Lord Vetinari

Interesting stuff Harold- I think your male is a parasite- Stylops sp. and the female bee is actually a male miner bee.
Brian v.

e6filmuser

Lord Vetinari wrote: »

Interesting stuff Harold- I think your male is a parasite- Stylops sp. and the female bee is actually a male miner bee.
Brian v.

Thanks, Brian.

A reminder to have my camera with me on a sunny day, rather than have to fetch it from indoors.

Harold