About Megachile leachella Curtis, 1828
Megachile leachella is a small species of bee in the genus Megachile. When alive, individuals of this species have green eyes. The sixth tergite of M. leachella is covered in adpressed white hairs, and females of the species also have white scopal hairs on their hind legs.
This species is primarily found in coastal habitats such as sand dunes, and it sometimes also occurs on shingle beaches that have existing sandy patches. Very rarely, populations can be found further inland, but only in areas with sandy soils. M. leachella is an underground-nesting species that uses cut leaf and petal pieces from various plant species to build its nests.
M. leachella is known to feed on the flowers of Lotus corniculatus, Lotus pedunculatus, Eryngium maritimum, Jasione montana, and Sedum anglicum. The red-legged sharp-tail bee, Coelioxys brevis, is a known parasite of M. leachella.
