He plague, commonly called the Black Bee, for the first time she was observed in the Roztoczański National Park. This unique, strictly protected species has been considered extinct in Poland for years, but now it is starting to appear in subsequent regions.
Until recently, entomologists thought that he was falling off, commonly known as the Black Bee, she was an extinct kind in Poland. However, the insect has been appearing in various parts of the country for several years – in BiałowieżaBieszczady Mountains, Fathers, in Polesie and – quite unexpectedly – in 2024 at the campus of the University of Wrocław. It was now also observed in the Roztocze National Park.
“Just a beautiful insect”
The insect was noticed on May 31 by Przemysław Stachyra, a naturalist from the park, in the mid -forest settlement in Florianka. As he said, based on a photo it was difficult to determine if it was a purple plating (Xylocopa Violacea) or Czarnoroga (Xylocopa Valga) This is the first documented appearance of this species in Roztocze.
“I immediately knew it was a black bee,” he says. – Great as a bumblebee, black, with a deep blue -violet gloss. Just a beautiful insect – he sums up.
Black bee likes places that disappear from our landscapes – old, decaying trees and meadows full of wild flowers. It nests in dead wood, the beetle drills the corridors, where he lays eggs. He pollinates flowers, among others Bobik, Wyka and Żmijowiec. He lives in a constant movement, which is why, as Przemysław Stachyra advises, it is easier to film her than to photograph.
What makes him come back?
Currently, they live mainly in the south of Europe, e.g. in Spain, Portugal, France and Italy. What makes them return to Poland? A climate that is becoming warmer and forests in which the condition of dead trees is getting better.
– That is why it is worth that there are more and more dying trees in the forests, because it is a place of reproduction not only bees, but also many other species. Flower meadows are also important in this context – emphasizes Przemysław Stachyra.
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However, individual cases of observing the black bee do not mean that her presence in our country is stable.
– Many species are disappearing around us, and there will certainly be not many opportunities to track the returns of extinct species – summed up natural media naturalists.
Source of the main photo: Roztoczański National Park/Facebook