Botanic Garden >> Gardening > >> Question and Answer >> About Gardening

Leafcutter Bees: Gentle Architects of Leaf-Lined Nests

Leafcutter bees cut precise leaf circles to line nests in rotten wood or soft pith. They provision each chamber with nectar and pollen. The dark liquid you saw was a squished larva. They don't damage healthy wood. Enjoy these harmless, fascinating pollinators.

About Gardening: Large Grub in a Dead Tree Branch in Thailand: Likely a Longhorn Beetle Larva; Vanda Leaf Regrowth After Winter Root Loss; Phalaenopsis Cold Damage: Leaf Triage and Fungus Prevention; Phalaenopsis Leaf Melt: Bacterial Infection Spreads Fast; Sparse Leaf-Out After Transplanting a Bloodgood Japanese Maple; Storm Damage on Historic 150-Year Japanese Cutleaf Maple; Crepe Myrtle Recovery After Hard Freeze Following Early Leaf-Out; Fiddle Leaf Fig Leaf Drop: Light & Water Fixes; Rescuing a Repotted Croton: Undoing Pot Size Increase and Soil Mistakes; Leafcutter Bees in Mortar: Identification and Management

Garden Articles

Yellowing Bottom Leaf on Phalaenopsis: Normal Aging or Warning Sign?

Weeping Purple Beech Leaf Curl: Root Damage from Border Clearing?

The Gold in Your Garden: Why Leaf Mold Beats Burning Leaves

Canna Lily Dermatitis: Mystery Reaction, Not Leaf Rollers

Leaf Gall on Leucothoe: Exobasidium Fungus

Cleyera Decline: Shade and Pruning Invite Leaf Spot

Oak Bacterial Leaf Scorch: A Fatal Disease with No Cure

Plants

Leaf Mold vs. Compost: What's the Difference?

Pruning Okra for Easier Harvesting

Sumac Leaf Galls: Aphid-Created Structures on Volunteer Shrubs

Three-Pronged Strategy for Dallisgrass Control

Pinecone Ginger: A Tropical Accent for Warm Microclimates

Managing Iris Leaf Spot: Identification and Control

Camellia Leaf Gall: Ugly but Harmless—Pick It Off