Widespread in temperate regions and transported beyond parts of its native range.
Fine-art photographic collection
Anthidium manicatum
A wool-gathering bee whose males defend flowers with abdominal weapons.
About this species
European Wool-carder Bee
Anthidium manicatum(Linnaeus, 1758)
Information reviewed15 July 2026
The wool-carder bee uses plant fibres rather than leaves or mud to construct its nest. Females scrape soft hairs from plants, while much larger males patrol flower patches and physically attack competing insects.
Taxonomy
Animalia · Arthropoda · Insecta · Hymenoptera · Megachilidae · Anthidium
Accepted species or infraspecific taxon in the current GBIF/Catalogue of Life treatment; unsupported details have been omitted rather than inferred. · checked 2026-07-15
Temperate regions worldwideBroad documented range and selected occurrence localities — not a complete occurrence map.
Gardens, urban areas, woodland edges and flower-rich grassland with nesting cavities and fibrous plants.
Mainly active in summer.
Adults take nectar; females collect pollen and nectar for larvae.
Solitary, nesting in existing cavities.
What makes this species remarkable?
Females shave fibres from hairy leaves, roll them into a ball and felt the material into soft, water-resistant brood-cell linings.
Territorial males carry sharp abdominal spines and ram, crush or throw rival bees away from the flowers they guard.
A male may defend the same flower patch because controlling the nectar source also concentrates the females he is trying to mate with.
Sources and scientific references
More photographs
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