carder bee

Meanings

1. Common name for any species of bee in the genus Bombus or in the family Wikipedia:Megachilidae, that collects plant fibre and processes it for nesting material, by activities resembling the carding of fibre.
2. Common name mainly applied to some Bombus species in the northern hemisphere, where they occur widely and are the most familiar species of bees that exhibit carding activity in their nest building, rather than genera such as Anthidium in the Megachilidae, some of which occur in the Northern hemisphere as well and similarly exhibit carding activity .
3. In the southern hemisphere, where Bombus species occur only exceptionally, the common name most familiarly applied to species of bees that exhibit carding activity in their nest building, and are members of genera in the Megachilidae, such as Anthidium, Immanthidium and Afranthidium