Bee with territorial behavior

Their wasp-like yellow-black or yellow-white markings distinguish carder bees (Anthidium) from other native wild bee genera. The most common is the European wool carder bee.

Unlike in other bees, the males are larger than females and exhibit aggressive territorial behavior. In summer, they can be easily observed making steady patrol flights around plants that provide food and nesting material for females.

If other insects approach the area, the male will attack them using his thorny armed abdominal end until they take flight. The nests of the European wool carder bee, made in above-ground cavities, consist of a cotton-wool-like buildup that it collects on woolly-haired plants such as the lamb's-ear (Stachys byzantina K.Koch).

Image captions:
Carder bees ingesting nectar, mating, and collecting fluffy plant hairs for nest building.
Male (left) and female (right) of the European wool carder bee (Anthidium manicatum).

English translation of the information panel in the Botanical Garden. Original German text: Dr. Barbara Ditsch, Mandy Fritzsche