Bug FAQFlat-tailed Leafcutter Bee
Megachile mendica · Order: Hymenoptera · Family: Megachilidae
Also called: Flat-tailed Leaf-cutter Bee, Flat-tailed Leafcutter
The Flat-tailed Leafcutter Bee lines its nests with cut leaf pieces. It will nest in holes 5/16" to 7/16" wide and is attracted to bee blocks. It was first described by Ezra Townsend Cresson in 1878.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Uses leaf pieces as nesting material.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
Nests in holes 5/16"-7/16" in diameter and likes bee blocks.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Uses leaf pieces as nesting material.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Described by Cresson in 1878.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 46 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Maryland, Florida, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Alabama, Michigan, West Virginia.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in Canada; native in United States. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
How can I attract Flat-tailed Leafcutter Bees?
Provide bee blocks and drill holes 5/16"-7/16" wide for them to nest in.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Megachilidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megachile_mendica
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.