The Calamintha bee, a bright blue colored bee native to Florida, believed to be extinct shortly after it was discovered, has made a surprising comeback! The infamous little creature was rediscovered by a group of researchers lead by Dr. Chase Kimmel, in the Lake Wales Ridge in central Florida.
This immensely attractive bee was last spotted in 2016, before being rediscovered recently. According to insect researchers, this shocking discovery gives a string of hope to save this creature from extinction.
This unique insect that’s identified by the scientific name Osmia calaminthae fully depends on a plant called Calamintha Ashei to survive, which is an endangered species found only in Florida.
These bees bob their heads back and forth when pollinating, to transfer pollen from their head to the stomach, and this is one of their highly noticeable characteristic features.
This rare specimen is such a feast to the eyes, but very little is known about them. Due to great difficulty in finding these insects, it’s very hard to conduct research about them. Up until now, the presence of these species is only confirmed in four locations, adding up to around 16 square miles within Lake Wales Ridge.
Although many people believe that this ultra-rare species should be protected, it’s not listed on a single environmental protection list. It’s funny that even though very few amounts of bees are found, this species is not regarded as endangered, but rather a species that needs to be conserved greatly. Calamintha bees lack the criteria to be listed as an endangered species due to the lack of information about them.
These stunning and magnificent creatures add so much value to wildlife thanks to their vibrant colors and unique ways of pollination. Hopefully, researchers will take this opportunity to investigate more about this species and ensure their abundance once again.
Reading, creative writing, poetry writing, and language learning have been my passions since I was young. I have won many Japanese and Chinese language competitions, and many national-level creative writing, art & oratory competitions too. I am still schooling, and passed my O/Levels with distinction passes for English Literature, Japanese, and English. I have also completed my Certificate of Human Resource Management.
