Seasonality and alternative floral resources affect reproductive success of the alfalfa leafcutting bee, Megachile rotundata
Background Managed populations of the alfalfa leafcutting bee (ALCB), butter silk sarees pothys Megachile rotundata (F.), are often not sustainable.In addition to numerous mortality factors that contribute to this, the dense bee populations used to maximize alfalfa pollination quickly deplete floral resources available to bees later in the summer.P