A sighting of a rare bee, previously thought to be extinct, in a national park in Poland had its employees buzzing with excitement.
According to a report by TVP World, a sharp-eyed employee spotted a black bee pollinating flowers at Roztocze National Park in southeast Poland. It's believed it was either a violet carpenter bee (Xylocopa violacea) or a black-horned carpenter bee (Xylocopa valga).
"I knew right away that it was a black bee, because it is very distinctive: as big as a bumblebee, black, with a deep blue-violet sheen — simply a beautiful insect," Przemysław Stachyra said.
The Bavarian State Institute of Forestry describes the violet carpenter bee as "imposing but harmless." It's a solitary bee that prefers woodlands and flowery meadows, and its large size causes fear, but it's not particularly aggressive. The black-horned carpenter is similar; "carpenter" refers to the nesting habits of females, which gnaw a brooding gallery into dead wood.
Like other bees, the black carpenter bee provides a vital ecological service as a pollinator. Bee numbers worldwide are fluctuating. While honey bees have declined sharply in North America and Europe, they're much better off in Asia. The decline of the American population is attributed to habitat loss, contamination from pesticides, disease, and rising temperatures caused by human activities. On the other hand, as Earth.org notes, bee hives in China and India have a brighter outlook, and the countries provide a model for other nations to follow.
Poland has a strong tradition of beekeeping, with evidence of tree beekeeping going back to the 13th century. UNESCO recognized the cultural significance of the practice in 2020. With that heritage, it's no surprise that the Polish government has taken steps to support beekeepers, and colonies have grown 50% in the last decade, per Notes from Poland.
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