Megachile centuncularis

There are Hypericum self-set in our tubs and their leaves have developed some large serrated notches around the edges. This is due to the action of leafcutter bees (Megachile centuncularis), and we watched one perform the task this afternoon. It seems that although they are solitary, these bees are efficient at large-scale pollination of crops.

This is the first stage; the extra photos show its progress until it flew off, carrying the removed piece. The process took a matter of seconds to perform and although the bee returned every ten minutes or so it was by no means simple to obtain photographs.