Sculptured Resin Bee

Subject: Tube Nesting Wasp?
Location: Western North Carolina
August 19, 2015 9:37 am
These rather large (1 inch plus) wasps (?) are busily nesting in the larger of my Mason and Leafcutter Bee nesting tubes, and they seal the end of the tube with a mud plug.
Signature: Alan

Sculptured Resin Bee

Dear Alan,
This is an introduced Giant Resin Bee or Sculptured Resin Bee, Megachile sculpturalis, and it belongs to the same family as your native Mason and Leafcutter Bees.  According to BugGuide:  “They are opportunistic and nest in existing wooden cavities, rather than excavating their own. Effectively pollinate kudzu, another invasive species.”

Giant Resin Bees

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Location: North Carolina