[gardeners] Wasp
Cheryl Van De Grift Edson (gardeners@globalgarden.com)
Fri, 14 Jan 2000 14:12:34 PST
I think you might have seen a leaf-cutter bee. They're used here in
southwestern Idaho a lot to work alfalfa seed crops. They are wonderful
because they aren't agressive, their sting is not painful like a honeybee
and they will hybernate (or maybe they just die and the larvae hatch in
spring) in boards that you can put in a barn to overwinter requiring no food
or care at all. They also don't produce honey, so the farmers can just get
their fields polinated without having to have someone bring in honeybees.
I searched on the WWW and found a few hits on leaf-cutter bees.
Here's one: http://clay.agr.okstate.edu/alfalfa/webnews/pol-01.htm
This one has pictures: http://www.pollination.com/IPSalfbee.html
See if you think that's it.
Cheryl Van De Grift Edson
Boise, Idaho, USA
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