It is called Wallace's giant bee or Megachile pluto. Until now it was believed to have disappeared but is still alive and is located in Indonesia, in the heart of the rainforest
He is about to end up run over, his mother saves himIt is called Wallace's giant bee or Megachile pluto and is the largest bee in the world. Until now it was believed to have disappeared but is still alive and is located in Indonesia, in the heart of the rainforest.
Good news from Indonesia. There, in the heart of North Moluccas, a team of professional entomologists and photographers have announced that they have spotted Wallace's giant bee, a marvelous creature that was believed to be extinct. The last sighting in fact dates back to 1981 but since then it had been lost.
As part of a project to rediscover lost species around the world, the four entomologists and photographers scoured the North Moluccas in Indonesia. After 5 days of searching, they located a single female inside a tree-top termite nest. These bees in fact build their nests inside these structures, defending them with the plant sap they collect with their strong jaws.
The Megachile pluto was discovered in 1858 by naturalist Alfred Russell Wallace, who developed the theory of evolution based on natural selection with Darwin. At the time, Wallace noticed and described the bee's large jaws, similar to those of a kite. But he was the last person to see one until a University of Georgia entomologist noticed several specimens in 1981. Since then, the status of the species is unknown.
With a wingspan of about 6 cm, the bee lives in the rainforests of Indonesia, its size is about four times that of a honey bee, with very large and strong jaws.
A to tell some details of the discovery is one of the authors, the natural history photographer Clay Bolt.
After learning of Wallace's exploits, I collected a used copy of his diaries, The Malay Archipelago, which detailed the naturalist's travels through places that had been unexplored by Westerners in the late 1800s, including Malaysia, New Guinea and Indonesia. Of Wallace's many incredible tales that captured my imagination, one in particular stood above all others: the mysterious 1858 discovery of the Megachile pluto, commonly known as Wallace's giant bee.
While observing the nest, photographers and entomologists saw something move. At first they jumped down out of fear that it was a snake but soon after they realized that the host inside was a giant Wallace bee.
The authors of the discovery set themselves a mission: to work with Indonesian researchers and conservation groups to ensure the protection of this magnificent species.
“Someday, I would like to return to the North Moluccas to document the life cycle of this spectacular creature in more detail. But it doesn't matter, I just want to know that this bee's giant wings will continue to rummage through this ancient Indonesian forest. It will help me believe that in a world dominated by extinction, hope and wonder still exist, ”continues Clay. Bolt.
A news that bodes well given that in recent years bees all over the world have been put to the test, literally exterminated, by pesticides and insecticides.
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Francesca Mancuso
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