The world’s largest bee – roughly the size of a human thumb – has been rediscovered in Indonesia. Wallace’s Giant Bee, discovered in the 19th century by British naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace and nicknamed the “flying bulldog”, had not been seen in the wild since 1981.
The bee (Megachile pluto), which lives in the island region of North Moluccas, makes its nest in termite mounds, using its large fang-like mandibles to collect sticky resin to protect its home from the termites. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species lists the bee as “vulnerable”. Currently, there is no protection for the bee’s habitat which is threatened by increasing deforestation for agricultural purposes.
Picture Credit : Google
