Wallace's creepy bee (5 photos)

More than a hundred years have passed since the British naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace discovered this giant bee to the world.





We are all used to the fact that bees are wonderful little creatures that pollinate plants, make honey, do not bite without explicit reasons, help the conservation of nature. But in Indonesia there is a certain a bee that is many times larger than usual and looks menacing.



In a line, a bee can reach 4 cm, and a wingspan of more than 6 cm. Wallace's bee (Megachile pluto) huge eyes and jaws resembling those of a stag beetle. But she them does not attack, but collects tree resin to build its nest. By the way, the sting of this bee is not dangerous for a person, unless he has individual allergies.



The bee was discovered in 1858, and was last seen in 1981 on the Indonesian island of Bachan, when researchers discovered six nests of this species. Since then, she has been considered extinct.



And only in 2019, the biologist Clay Bolt discovered on the same the island of the female bee Wallace, when he repeated exactly the route entomologist of the 19th century, guided by his notes. Meeting with a bee commented like this:

The view of this "flying bulldog", in the existence of which we weren't sure at all, really breathtaking. See in real life, how big and beautiful this individual is, to hear a low buzz her wings as she flew over my head - it was just incredible.



The insect was immediately listed in the Red Book, its capture and sale is not legally prohibited. And Global Wildlife Conservation included bee on the "25 Most Wanted Lost Species" list.