European Wool-carder Bee - Anthidium manicatum

It has a wingspan of approximately 20 mm. This bee is mostly black with a pattern of yellow spots on the sides and tip of the abdomen. There are also some yellow markings present on the legs and sides of the abdomen. The males are substantially larger than females.

Gardens and flowerbeds.

Single-brooded from late May to early August, with a peak from June to July.

Males are highly territorial and aggressive against other males of this species, as well as other visitors to the flowers in its territory. They get the name 'carder' from their behaviour of scraping hair from the leaves of 'woolly' leaved plants such as Lamb's-ear and Mullein species.

Widely distributed throughout much of southern England and Wales, becoming scarcer in the north.

Status in Leicestershire and Rutland not known.