A new species of bees has been spotted all over the Pacific Northwest, stumping animal biologists and pointing out how little we know about these pollinators. Rowan Rampton, a biology student at the University of Calgary, came across the insect in the West Kootenay mountains. There are over 3,000 species of bees in western North America, and identifying a bee’s species is a detail-oriented task that requires hours of studying under a microscope. Bee biologist Lincoln Best examined Rampton’s finding and determined that it was a Hoplitis Emarginata, which has never been spotted in this area of the world before. Biologists don’t know how long these wild bees have been in the Pacific Northwest or how they got there, leading to opportunities for further research. The discovery is positive when it comes to bee conservation, as it shows that certain bee species can travel farther and survive in more climates than previously thought.
Image via Hakai Magazine
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