European wool-carder bee
Anthidium manicatum
Bee
Solitary megachilid bee whose females scrape woolly plant hairs from lamb's ear, betony, and other fuzzy leaves to line brood cells in pre-existing cavities. Males defend flower patches aggressively, so a sunny clump of woolly Lamiaceae can become both a nesting-material stop and a tiny bee-territory theater.
Plan for this species
Location-fit plant set for Chicago, IL: host and specialist plants first, then nectar, fruit, seed, foliage, and shelter plants that still fit the current and mid-century climate read.
0 essential relationships / 6 supporting plants
Host/specialist links: 0
Forage/pollination links: 5
Shelter links: 1
Relationship roles: 3
Cheddar Pink
Supporting / Nectar plants
European wool carder bee is common in central and southern European grasslands and visits Dianthus blooms for nectar, though it is not a documented specialist on this genus.
Clustered bellflower
Supporting / Nectar plants
The European wool-carder bee, a solitary megachilid of sunny gardens across the bellflower’s native range, works open border flowers like these for nectar; males patrol such flower patches as territory.
Meadow crane's-bill
Supporting / Nectar plants
The European wool-carder bee, a generalist solitary megachilid active over the midsummer bloom, takes nectar and pollen from the open flowers within the shared European range; opportunistic foraging rather than a dependency.
Carpathian harebell
Supporting / Pollen plants
Wool-carder bees (Anthidium manicatum) are plausible pollen foragers on Campanula in European gardens, though specific records for C. carpatica are not confirmed.
Thunberg Bush Clover
Supporting / Pollen plants
Wool-carder bees (Anthidium manicatum), widespread across the Holarctic, collect pollen from legume flowers and would forage on Lespedeza where the plant is grown.
Lamb's ear
Supporting / Shelter plants
European wool-carder bee females collect the woolly hairs from lamb's ear and other fuzzy Lamiaceae leaves to line brood cells in pre-existing cavities.
Plants in the catalog
Nectar plants · 3
European wool carder bee is common in central and southern European grasslands and visits Dianthus blooms for nectar, though it is not a documented specialist on this genus.
The European wool-carder bee, a solitary megachilid of sunny gardens across the bellflower’s native range, works open border flowers like these for nectar; males patrol such flower patches as territory.
The European wool-carder bee, a generalist solitary megachilid active over the midsummer bloom, takes nectar and pollen from the open flowers within the shared European range; opportunistic foraging rather than a dependency.
Pollen plants · 6
Wool-carder bees (Anthidium manicatum) are plausible pollen foragers on Campanula in European gardens, though specific records for C. carpatica are not confirmed.
The wool carder bee (Anthidium manicatum), a species present in both Europe and North America, visits aromatic Mediterranean sub-shrubs including Asteraceae such as Helichrysum; females forage for pollen and males defend aromatic-plant territories.
The wool-carder bee (Anthidium manicatum) is documented collecting plant hairs from woolly-leaved plants including Lamiaceae; the dense silver felting on Ballota leaves is a plausible substrate for nest-material harvesting in addition to nectar foraging.
European wool carder bee (Anthidium manicatum) collects pollen from leguminous flowers in Mediterranean gardens; plausibly uses Coronilla valentina alongside other Fabaceae.
The wool-carder bee (Anthidium manicatum) is a Holarctic species documented visiting silver-haired Mediterranean shrubs; female wool-carder bees also harvest silky leaf hairs for nest-lining, making this a doubly plausible relationship.
Wool-carder bees (Anthidium manicatum), widespread across the Holarctic, collect pollen from legume flowers and would forage on Lespedeza where the plant is grown.
Shelter plants · 1
European wool-carder bee females collect the woolly hairs from lamb's ear and other fuzzy Lamiaceae leaves to line brood cells in pre-existing cavities.
Range
Native to Europe, parts of Asia, and North Africa; introduced and now established in North America, parts of South America, New Zealand, and the Canary Islands.
Sources & citations
Cite this page
Use this citation for the Plotwright wildlife record. Use the source cards below to explore the references that informed its taxonomy, range, conservation, host plants, foraging, and habitat.
Plotwright. (n.d.). European wool-carder bee (Anthidium manicatum). Retrieved 2026, August 20, from https://plotwright.com/wildlife/anthidium-manicatum
Sources used for this record
This record is compiled from the sources below.
Wikipedia: Anthidium manicatum
Corroborating reference for Old World origin, introduced range, wool-carding behavior, lamb's-ear/Stachys nesting material, and male territoriality.
BWARS: Anthidium manicatum
Regional bee-recording profile used as a second identity and flight-season cross-check.
GBIF: Anthidium manicatum
GBIF backbone key 1334821 is an EXACT accepted match for Anthidium manicatum in family Megachilidae.
iNaturalist: Anthidium manicatum
iNaturalist active taxon 62453 is Anthidium manicatum, the European wool carder bee.