Anthidium manicatum (European wool carder bee) is a solitary bee species. In principle, Anthidium manicatum females collect pollen from many plant families, but they prefer Fabaceae (legume family) and Lamiaceae (sage family) (Müller, 1996). So far I have observed them on Phlomis tuberosa, Stachys officinalis, Stachys byzantina , Marrubium vulgare, Ononis natrix, Salvia pratensis, Salvia lavandulifolia and Salvia viridis. In order to provide a brood cell with enough pollen for rearing the larvae, the females need an average of five plants or 1005 blossoms (Müller et al., 2006). This was shown using the example of Stachys recta. Anthidium manicatum belongs to the so-called belly collectors. This means that the bees do not transport the pollen on their legs (as is known from honey bees), but in the hairs (abdominal brush) on the underside of the abdomen.

Female on Stachys officinalis

Female with abdominal brush

In addition to pollen and nectar, the females also collect plant hairs, which are used to build the nest and the brood cells (Friese, 1923). The hairs are plucked or scraped off the plants with the mandibles, formed into a ball and flown to the place where the nest is to be built (Shuckard, 1866). So far, I have seen the collection of hairs on Jacobaea maritima (silver ragwort). Nesting takes place in all kinds of already existing cavities. The brood cells are formed in the nest made from the plant hairs and filled with pollen and nectar. Then an egg is laid on the provision and the brood cell is sealed (Shuckard, 1866).

Hair collection from Jacobaea maritima

Female with clearly visible tarsal hairs

Furthermore, plant secretions of glandular trichomes are also collected (Müller et al., 1996). For this purpose, the outer side of the first tarsal segment of all legs of Anthidium manicatum females is covered with specialised white hairs. When walking over the glandular trichomes of e.g. Pelargonium, Antirrhinum ( snapdragon) or Crepis (hawksbeard), the hairs absorb the secretion by means of capillary forces. The secretion is then applied onto the outside of the nest (Müller et al., 1996). This has been shown to protect against parasitic chalcid wasps such as Monodontomerus obscurus and Melittobia acasta (Eltz et al., 2014).

Male with lateral orange hair tufts

Male on patrol

Anthidium manicatum males show a markedly aggressive territorial behaviour. They patrol between the female's food plants and attack other bees flying into this territory. They ram honeybees, bumblebees and even carpenter bees, which then leave the territory or are sometimes even injured until they are unable to fly (Pechuman, 1967).

Once the male has discovered a female, he follows her and literally pounces on her as soon as she sits on the next flower (Severinghaus et al., 1981). Sometimes the pair falls off the flower while mating, or the female fights off the male and the mating attempt is unsuccessful.

Mating on Salvia lavendulafolia

Mating on Salvia viridis

The European wool carder bee is native only to Europe, western Asia and the coastal region of North Africa (Strange et al., 2011). Meanwhile, it is also found in North (Jaycox, 1967; Smith, 1991) and South America (Moure & Urban, 1962; Schrottky, 1901), on the Canary Islands (Lieftinck, 1958) and in New Zealand (Donovan, 2007). This makes it the most widespread bee species that is not used in some form by humans. Anthidium manicatum is thought to have been spread by the transport of furniture and building materials (Smith, 1991).

On the Wild bee checklist Anthidium manicatum is classified as "non-threatened" throughout Germany.