Wool Carder Bee

One of the most fascinating creatures you can watch in a garden is a Wool Carder Bee. At first glance you may think it's a Hoverfly, then you'll see the bright yellow markings and ask yourself if it's a Wasp, but no it is neither. It is a bee, Anthidium manicatum which form part of the family of Mason or Potter Bees. At one point their population had dwindled in the UK but now they're making a come back. They normally fly from late in May until early august. Keep a look out for them.

This is a male. He's far larger than the females and defends a patch of flowers, labiates preferentially, hovering between the blooms and chasing off any insect that dares enter his area. He has four little spikes on the end of his abdomen which he will use as a weapon and attack if necessary. The little females, of course, are allowed to land on his precious flowers but he will harass them by grabbing them and mating as often as possible.


They get their common name from the females habit of scraping the hairs off furry plants such as Pelargoniums, Yarrow and great mullein to line their nests which are built in existing insect burrows in wood or a hole in a wall. I found a video of a female collecting if you'd like to see her in action.

The little sunshine that came out today brought all the insects out but, once again, the cloud has been a predominant feature of the day and it hasn't felt as though August has arrived.

Well done to our Rowing team for getting gold today!