Commercial-pollinator
Guides
Megachile pugnata pugnata
sunflower leafcutting bee
Megachile pugnata pugnata is a solitary leafcutting bee native to North America, notable for its specialized association with sunflowers (Helianthus). Females construct nests in pre-existing cavities using circular leaf pieces cut from host plants to form thimble-shaped brood cells. The subspecies exhibits strong instinctive aggregation behavior, preferentially clustering nests even when suitable cavities are abundant. It develops through complete metamorphosis with overwintering as a prepupa, and has been managed commercially for sunflower pollination.
Megachile rotundata
Alfalfa Leafcutter Bee, Alfalfa Leaf-Cutter Bee, Leafcutter Bee
Megachile rotundata is a solitary leafcutting bee native to Europe and the Mediterranean region, now widely established as a managed pollinator across North America and other continents. It is the second most important commercial pollinator globally after the honey bee, specifically renowned for its efficiency in alfalfa pollination. Females construct individual nests in pre-existing cavities, lining cells with precisely cut circular leaf pieces. The species is non-aggressive, does not produce honey, and has been introduced deliberately and accidentally to multiple regions for agricultural pollination services.
Osmia ribifloris ribifloris
blueberry mason bee
Osmia ribifloris ribifloris is a subspecies of mason bee native to western North America, endemic to regions west of the Mississippi River including Texas, California, and Oregon. It has been developed as a commercially managed pollinator for blueberry crops, particularly rabbiteye and southern highbush blueberries, with 14 years of rearing data documented from the Deep South. The subspecies produces cocoons that can be stored and released for field-scale pollination services.