Since first being described in 1858 by the great naturalist Henry Wallace, who is known for independently developing the theory of evolution through natural selection, scientists lost track of Wallace's giant bee,
Megachile pluto. It was last officially reported in 1981 on the island of Bacan. An expedition to locate the rare living giant bee was undertaken in January. The researchers met with success on their last foray into the forest, when a female was found occupying her nest in an elevated termite mound, their favorite site. These bees are hard to miss: jet black and the size of a man's thumb. She has impressive mandibles too, "like a stag-beetle" according to Wallace. It uses the mandibles to collect tree resin, which it forms into balls and carries with the large jaws. The bee's nests are multi-chambered and communal.
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| a giant bee compared to a European honey bee, (composite) |
One of the researchers' Indonesian guides climbed a tree to look inside a termite mound about eight feet off the ground. He found a wet and sticky nest inside. Giant bees line their nest with resin to protect their offspring from termites. A entomologist from Princeton University with the team confirmed it was the nest of
Megacile pluto. The rare find was quickly documented by the team photographer, Clay Bolt
[above] Scientists are not the only ones who know about the existence of Wallace's giant bee in the Northern Moluccas. In March 2018 a US collector sold a specimen for $9100 on eBay. In September, 2018 another specimen was auctioned for $4150. The researchers who located the wild bee hope that images of thisL remarkable species, about which there is little data, will inspire more research. Their expedition was organized by Global Wildlife Conservation as part of its "lost 25 species" program. Wallace' giant bee is certainly not lost to unscrupulous collectors who already know the bee is out there.
