Where Crown Bees Sources Summer Leaf Bees

At Crown Bees, how we source Summer Leaf bees matters as much as the bees themselves. Healthy bees depend on responsible management, disease prevention, and proven sourcing practices—especially when you’re comparing providers.

Where our Summer Leaf bees come from

Saskatchewan, Canada (source region for our alfalfa leafcutter cocoons).

The alfalfa leafcutter bee is one of the oldest managed solitary bee species used for agricultural pollination. As managed populations expanded in North America, parasites and diseases increased—especially chalkbrood, a fungal disease that can impact long-term bee health.

Canadian producers pioneered modern management practices that helped maintain healthier populations for pollination services. Summer Leaf bees raised in Canada are widely recognized as lower-risk for chalkbrood, supporting stronger populations for crops like alfalfa, canola, carrots, melons, and other summer fruit and vegetable crops.

We source our alfalfa leafcutter cocoons from Saskatchewan, Canada, to help reduce the incidence of parasites and disease and to support reliable summer pollination.

What Summer Leaf bee species do we work with?

Male Summer Leaf bees do not have a stinger and are often smaller than females.

We work exclusively with the alfalfa leafcutter bee (Megachile rotundata), a well-studied species known for reliable warm-season pollination.

Introduced to North America in the late 1930s, this species is now naturalized across the continent. Despite the name, alfalfa leafcutter bees are generalists that visit many types of flowers—making them well suited for diverse summer gardens.

Why we choose Summer Leaf bees

• Gentle around people. Summer Leaf bees are solitary and rarely sting. Most bee raisers don’t need special protective equipment.
• Efficient pollinators. They carry pollen on the underside of their abdomen, which can transfer more readily between blooms.
• Well-suited for warm-season flowers. Their activity aligns with summer bloom periods in many regions.

If you’re comparing options, focus on sourcing, health practices, and transparency. That’s where long-term success starts.