European wool carder bee

Appearance

"Anthidium manicatum" is originally an Old World bee. It has a wingspan of approximately 20 millimetres, with a body length of about 11–13 mm for females, and 14–17 mm for males. The males are substantially larger than females.

"A. manicatum" are black and covered with yellow-grey hairs. Their faces and abdomen are covered in yellow spots. Male "A. manicatum" have a black head and thorax, coated with short yellowish brown hairs.

The cheeks below the antennae, a small spot behind each eye, a bilobate spot on the clypeus, and the mandibles are yellow. The wings are dusky in color.

The abdomen is black with grey hairs, with a band of brown hairs at each segment's apex as well as along their lateral margins. This feature distinguishes male "A. manicatum" from New World "Anthidium" species. There is a yellow spot on each side of the segments except the 7th. A second pair of spots is often seen on the disks of the 4th and 5th segments.

There is a spine on each side of the 6th and 7th segments at the apex, the 7th having a third thin spine in the middle. The legs exhibit variegation of yellow and are covered with grey hairs. Female "A. manicatum" are smaller in size than the males, but have a similar color pattern. The abdominal spots are smaller and the apex is rounded. Female legs are almost completely black, with very small yellow spots. The anterior sides of the tarsal segments of each leg of female "A. manicatum" have fine, soft and small white-colored hairs. This pilosity occurs in most species of "Anthidium" in the Western Palearctic region.

Male "A. manicatum" resemble "A. maculosum" in appearance. The two species have similar spiniform pygidia, as well as largely rounded sixth sterna.

Distribution

"Anthidium manicatum" is found in parts of Europe, Asia, North Africa, and North America. It has also recently been documented in the Canary Islands, and South American countries such as Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay. As of 2006, this species is also now established in New Zealand.

This insect was accidentally introduced into the United States from Europe sometime prior to 1963, when it was discovered in New York State. It has since spread from the northeastern U.S. and southeastern Canada across the United States to California, where it was first collected in 2007. This species' tendency to occupy ready-made nesting sites, usually movable objects, allows it to spread to new locations easily.

Behavior

The mating system of "A. manicatum" is unlike those of most other bees. Females exhibit polyandry and continuously mate throughout their reproductive life. The interval of time between copulations amongst different males can be as short as 35 seconds in length.

Males exhibit resource defense polygyny. "A. manicatum" display extreme polyandry, which is linked to male territoriality and resource defence of flowering plants. Males claim patches of floral plants, aggressively ward off conspecific males, bees, and other resource competitors, and mate with the females who forage in their territories. Copulations occur repeatedly and regularly in both sexes. Males that are unable to defend their own territory utilize an alternative ‘sneaking’ tactic. These unfit males receive fewer copulation opportunities than females.

Such mating and territorial behaviour in bees has also been observed in "Anthidiellum notatum", "Anthidiellum perplexum", and "Anthidium banningense". However, males of the genus "Anthidiellum" chase away intruders rather than physically attacking them, so their aggressive behaviour differs significantly."Anthidium manicatum" consumes the pollen from flowers of varying families. They are thus considered to be generalists. They visit garden flowers and weeds preferring blue flowers that have long throats with Old World origins. Both males and females can maintain a precise static hover near flowers similar to flies in the family Syrphidae.

Habitat

In Europe, this species is normally found in gardens, fields, and meadows in the southern part of Wales and England, but is localized in other places within the United Kingdom, where they can be seen from May to September. "A. manicatum" is the only species of the genus "Anthidium" that can be found in England.

Reproduction

Being a member of the Anthidiini tribe of megachilid bees, "A. manicatum" engages in highly elaborate nesting behavior. These bees construct their nests in preexisting cavities, using the trichomes of wooly plants. Female "A. manicatum" use their mandibles, which are sharply toothed, to remove trichomes from the stems and leaves of various plants. They then roll up the trichomes into a ball and bring them to a preexisting cavity. Inside the cavity, the bees fashion the trichome ball into cells, where they deposit an egg as well as a provisioning mass consisting of nectar and pollen. The female creates several cells in a cavity. Once finished, she seals the entrance to the cavity with a terminal plug, which consists of inorganic and organic materials that she brings to the nest.

Females collect "down" from such plants as lamb's ears. They scrape the hairs from the leaves and carry them back to their nests bundled beneath their bodies. There it is used as a lining for their nest cavities.

Females tend to build their nests at high locations. This may be in order to minimize the nest's exposure to parasites and predators. This may also be to avoid nest usurpation by other female "A. manicatum".

Food

"Anthidium manicatum" consumes the pollen from flowers of varying families. They are thus considered to be generalists. They visit garden flowers and weeds preferring blue flowers that have long throats with Old World origins. Both males and females can maintain a precise static hover near flowers similar to flies in the family Syrphidae.