Unlike social bees like honeybees, leaf-cutter bees are solitary -each female bee independently builds and cares for her nest. The nesting process of the leaf-cutter bee is particularly fascinating. The female bee uses her strong mandibles to cut precise, circular pieces from the edges of leaves or petals. She then carries these leaf pieces back to her nest, which is typically constructed in pre-existing cavities, such as hollow stems, holes in wood, or even man-made bee hotels.

Once at the nest, the bee uses the leaf pieces to line the walls of the cavity, creating a series of cells. Each cell is carefully constructed with leaves to form a protective chamber for the bee's offspring. After lining the cell, the female bee deposits a mixture of pollen and nectar inside, which serves as food for the developing larvae. She then lays a single egg on top of the pollen mass and seals the cell with another leaf piece. This process is repeated until the nest cavity is full of cells.

Once the eggs hatch the larvae will live in the cell feeding off the pollen until autumn when they pupate into adults and then hibernate over the winter. Typically, the bees in cells nearer the front will wake from hibernation first due to their proximity to the sun’s warmth.

There are many types of leaf-cutter bees in the UK, with one of the most prevalent being the patchwork leaf-cutter. These bees look very similar to honeybees with very few discernible differences. The most notable difference is when they are carrying pollen. Honeybees collect pollen in pollen baskets on their hind legs, whilst the patchwork leaf-cutter has a pollen brush beneath their abdomen.