This invasive bee, first discovered in the Iberian Peninsula in 2018, has already colonized most of the countries of Central Europe “at a dizzying pace and its records have increased tenfold in recent years,” according to the work cited by the Spanish news agency EFE.
The study published in that international scientific journal argues that the process of bee invasion in Europe has only just begun, as the ‘Megachile sculpturalis’ has colonized only a quarter of the potential territory it can invade if it meets its ecological requirements is fulfilled. is taken into account..
The species expands along roads, takes refuge in cities and climate change does not affect its expansion, only its distribution across Europe, says the work, which was participated by CREAF – Center for Ecological and Forest Applications and the Autonomous University of Barcelona.
Like most of the 2,000 or so species of bee that exist in Europe, this one is solitary and all females reproduce and create their own nest, in holes they find or make in the trunks of trees, living or dead.
Being concentrated in urban areas, they also use human structures for nesting, for example brick holes, getting pollen almost exclusively from some exotic ornamental trees.
According to the biologists, climate change should not benefit the species’ potential range of invasion in Europe, but could alter its distribution, with a smaller presence expected in the Mediterranean regions and a greater presence in the center and north of the continent . , as well as the Greater Islands – Great Britain, Ireland and adjacent areas.
In the Iberian Peninsula, the giant resin bee is concentrated on the eastern coast, although it is expected to reach regions of the Cantabrian coast soon.
Originally from East Asia, this bee probably arrived in Europe via the transport of timber, and while it can be over two inches long, it is not aggressive.
While stating that “biological invasions are one of the main causes of global biodiversity loss”, the study’s authors confirm that “the ecological and human damage that the giant resin bee can cause is limited”.
Still, they believe it is necessary to monitor the species in order to “gain more scientific knowledge and correctly assess its situation as an invasive alien species”.
Source: DN
