One of my favorite wild bees is Anthidium manicatum, or the European wool carder bee. As indicated by its name, this is not a bee native to North America. This bee was first seen near Ithaca, NY in 1963, and is considered invasive. The “carder” name comes from their habit of pulling fibers from fuzzy plants like Lamb’s Ear to use in their nest, as carding is a term used for separating fibers.

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Spring nucs are a good way to split your colonies, suppress swarming, and otherwise manage your spring bees. I like to make nucs from pre-swarm hives on or after the frost date, which for Virginia is mid-April. This creates new hives from locally overwintered queens that are hopefully well adapted to living in our area.

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