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Anthidium manicatum, commonly called the European wool carder bee, is a species of bee in the family Megachilidae, the leaf-cutter bees or mason bees.
They get the name 'carder' from their behaviour of scraping hair from leaves such as lamb's ears (Stachys byzantina). They carry this hair bundled beneath their bodies to be used as a nest lining. Like other members of the tribe Anthidiini, these bees do not cut leaves or petals as is typical for megachilids.
This bee is endemic to Europe, Asia and North Africa. It has recently been seen in regions of South America and the Canary islands. It was accidentally introduced into North America from Europe sometime in the mid 20th century. They are generalists, and do not seem to prefer any plant genera for foraging.
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This insect was accidentally introduced into the United States from Europe sometime prior to 1963, when it was discovered in New York State. It has since spread from the northeastern U.S. and southeastern Canada across the United States to California, where it was first collected in 2007. This species' tendency to occupy ready-made nesting sites, usually movable objects, allows it to spread to new locations easily.
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Being a member of the Anthidiini tribe of megachilid bees, A. manicatum engages in highly elaborate nesting behavior. These bees construct their nests in preexisting cavities, using the trichomes of wooly plants. Female A. manicatum use their mandibles, which are sharply toothed, to remove trichomes from the stems and leaves of various plants. They then roll up the trichomes into a ball and bring them to a preexisting cavity. Inside the cavity, the bees fashion the trichome ball into cells, where they deposit an egg as well as a provisioning mass consisting of nectar andpollen. The female creates several cells in a cavity. Once finished, she seals the entrance to the cavity with a terminal plug, which consists of inorganic and organic materials that she brings to the nest.
Females collect "down" from such plants as lamb's ears (Stachys byzantina). They scrape the hairs from the leaves and carry them back to their nests bundled beneath their bodies. There it is used as a lining for their nest cavities.[1][17]
Females tend to build their nests at high locations. This may be in order to minimize the nest’s exposure to parasites and predators.
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