Animals - Blue-black wood bee is "Wild bee of the year"
The blue-black wood bee is the wild bee of the year 2024, the nature conservation organization Nabu announced on Monday. The gentle giant bee inspires respect due to its size and loud buzzing. Yet the Xylocopa violacea is harmless. Blue-black wood bees are among the largest wild bees in Germany, with shiny bluish wings and a black hairy body. The responsible board of trustees has been selecting the "Wild Bee of the Year" since 2013
Three species of wood bee (Xylocopa) have been found in Germany so far, of which the blue-black wood bee is the most common and most widespread. The females are between two and three centimeters in size. Its relative, the small wood bee (Xylocopa iris), is significantly smaller at 14 to 16 millimetres. It occurs sporadically in Alsace and Baden on the southern Upper Rhine. The third in the group is the southern wood bee (Xylocopa valga). It has only been recorded in Germany since 2009 and has been spreading northwards ever since.
The now chosen wild bee of the year is widespread in Baden-Württemberg, with a clear focus on the river lowlands. The blue-black wood bee is now found throughout Germany, as the warmth-loving species has expanded its range from the southwest to the northern federal states and even as far as Denmark in recent years as a result of global warming. Orchard meadows are among its favorite biotopes. It can also be found regularly in villages and towns, for example on green facades with honeysuckle or blue vine or on beds with muscatel sage or large-flowered sweet peas.
According to the "Wild Bee of the Year" board of trustees, it is important to provide an insight into the exciting world of these important pollinators with the "Annual Bee".
Wild bee register
Read also:
- A clan member is punished here
- Traffic lawyer warns: Don't talk to the police!
- Will he be convicted as Jutta's murderer after 37 years?
- He also wanted to kill his cousin
The Nature Conservation Association Germany (NABU) is based in Germany and actively participates in nature conservation efforts nationwide. The Blue-black wood bee, the 'Wild Bee of the Year 2024', has a wide distribution in Baden-Württemberg and beyond, thanks to global warming. In 2023, the NABU's Baden-Württemberg branch was awarded for its significant contributions to science and animal conservation.
Source: www.stern.de
