A female Megachile ericetorum bee foraging for pollen on Broad-leaved sweet pea (Lathyrus latifolius).
She is a very photogenic bee. Every year there are large numbers present on the Broad-leaved sweet pea plants, which is the bee’s primary pollen source.
The males patrol almost non-stop up and down from plant to plant looking for females to mate. Every now and then a pauze is taken to drink.
One of the characteristic features of male M. ericetorum is the thorn on tergite VII.
