European Wool-Carder Bee is the most widespread carder bee in Europe. Carder bees get their common names after the materials they use to build their nests. They will readily collect materials like resin, plant fibres and earth to build the walls of their nests. They'll carry pollen beneath the abdomen using long, comb-like hairs. Abdomens can be painted with blue, pink, purple or yellow depending on the flowers they've most recently visited. Carder bees are solitary; caring for broods alone. Unlike most bees, the European Wool-Carder male is larger than the female, which is quite unusual in insects. They're a fabulous insect to observe in the garden. Watch females fly from flower to flower and collect fibres from foliage. They roll the threads into a ball of 'wool', before flying back to the nesting site. The males, on the other hand, are highly aggressive. They patrol an area of flowers for prolonged periods, fighting off any other bee which enters their territory!