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leaf cutter bees

16 years ago

I have several leaf cutte bees, eating my roses. I have three St Josephs Coat that they have just decimated. They have moved from leaves to flowers now,and my poor little plants are just decimated. How do I keep them from tearing up my roses without killing them? They do a great job pollinating, so I don't want to poison them or anything. Is this just something I have to deal with now? And how long will it last? Any help?

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Comments (6)

bettyn_gardener
16 years ago
No expertise here - just sympathy. I've got leaf cutter bees too - but they've never gone after the flowers... Wow.

BettyN
roseman
16 years ago
In the first place, they don't eat your roses; all they want are the circles they cut from the foliage to line their nests with. These circles removed may cause the foliage to be unsightly, but the nesting season will soon be over and new leaves will come in. Leaf cutter bees are excellent pollinators, so their cutting capers can certainly be tolerated for a short period of time. If you want more info on them, why not type their name into Google, and see what you can find on them?
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I just noticed some of those circles the other day and wondered if they were from leaf cutter bees, how cool! I would love to see one at work, I'm always thrilled when I realize a new bug I've never seen before is a kind of bee. Recently I was dead heading my Gold Medal and while deciding whether a somewhat faded bloom should be clipped a little bee came to visit. At first I thought it was a wasp because it was smaller than a honeybee and had a thinner body, but then I saw the furriness and small pollen sacks on the legs and I realized it must be some kind of little bee. I left the bloom alone.
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jerijen
16 years ago
Leafcutter bees are wonderful critters.
They're a pain in their nesting period, but they do so much more good than harm, I am happy to welcome them here.
They'll be done soon.

Have you ever watched 'em work? Fascinating!

Jeri
jerseywendy
16 years ago
I have leafcutter bees, too, and I LOVE to watch and listen to them (yes, I'm weird, I know). They'll only do cosmetic damage, nothing to worry about, and will soon be finished with their mating rituals.

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Wendy
Jean Marion (z6a Idaho)
16 years ago
Could be caterpillars chewing on your roses... Bees only munch on leaves...
antfarmer101
Original Author
16 years ago
No, these are the bees cutting up my blooms- I've seen them in action. And when I googled them, I couldn't find anything anywhere about how to keep them from tearing up my roses without killing them outright. I just figured I'd ask here to see if anyone knew a secret ;). Oh well, worth a shot I guess. I suppose I'll just have to deal with them.

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