Technical Abstract: The alfalfa leafcutting bee (ALCB), Megachile rotundata F. (Megachildae) was accidentally introduced to the United States in the late 1930s. Nest management of this Eurasian non-social pollinator transformed the alfalfa seed industry in North America, tripling seed production. The most common ALCB management practice is the loose cell system in which cocooned bees are removed from nesting cavities for cleaning and storage. Traits of ALCBs that favored their commercialization include: gregarious nesting, use of leaves for lining nests, ready acceptance of cheap, mass-produced nesting materials, and pollination efficacy at and emergence synchrony with alfalfa bloom. The ALCB became a commercial success because we learned its natural history, performed targeted research, and encouraged producer ingenuity. The ALCB presents a model system for commercializing other solitary bees and for advancing new testable hypotheses in diverse biological disciplines.