Baffled woman discovers a bizarre green rod inside a towel in her backyard – before the amazing story behind it is revealed
- Aussie woman found a strange leafy rod in a towel she left in her backyard
- People online pointed out it is the nest of the common Leafcutter bee
- Leafcutter bees carve neat circles out of soft leaves to make their nests
- They build nests in folded towels and in hole in outdoor furniture and walls
An Aussie woman was baffled after finding a strange green ‘rod’ in a towel left in her backyard.
She posted an image of the hollow leafy cylinder to popular Facebook group ‘Australia – What Bug Is This?’ and commenters were quick to point out the culprit.
The cigar-like rod is the nest of the Megachile Leafcutter Bee commonly found in backyards all over Australia.
An Aussie woman was baffled after finding this strange green rod in a towel she left in her backyard which turned out to be the work of a female leafcutter bee
If you’ve spotted strange holes carved out of your garden plants, your yard may also be home to a leafcutter bee who will cut neat circular disks out of soft leaves to build their nests.
They particularly like soft leaves like desmodiums, sennas, roses, ginger, bauhinia, buddleia and bananas.
Leafcutter bees commonly build their nests in folded towels left outside as well as gaps in door and window frames, and holes in rock or wood walls and outdoor furniture.
The leafcutter bee is found all over Australia and carves neat circled out of soft leaves to build a nest
The leafcutter bee makes a friendly and harmless backyard resident and some gardeners and farmers even encourage their presence as they ensure healthy pollination.
They are solitary bees and are not aggressive, will only sting if in serious danger and do no damage to plants with their leaf cut outs.
If you find a leafcutter bee nest it is advised to handle with care and put the nest near where you found it so the bee’s hard work doesn’t go to waste.
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