A new pollinator

 

I met a new pollinator the other day and you know how much a gardener loves pollinators.

At first glance I thought it was some sort of honeybee but there were several and they kept disappearing down into the bottom of the plants.  I grabbed my camera and took some pictures and then searched online.

Meet the digger bee.

Digger bees are solitary like mason bees only they make holes in the ground.  One female can make a lot of holes and she can be pursued by a lot of males.  They won’t be around all summer, just early spring and then again next year.  They are docile but can sting if handled or bothered, so we won’t do either.

It’s amazing to me how many types of pollinators we have and don’t really notice.  I mean sure butterflies are beautiful.

So of course we are going to see them and bumble bees well they are just goofy and fun to watch.

But the ones that we don’t see or pay attention to are doing some hard work.  Mason bees, leafcutter bees and all manner of ground nesting bees, like the digger bees.  Next time you are out in the garden, take a second to see who’s flying around.  You never know who you might meet!