I have a 4 year old girl california have discovered two colonies of stingless bees that are believed to have disappeared 70 years ago in the Americas.
Annika Arnaut made remarkable discoveries at an undisclosed location, so as not to reveal her ‘special place’. cbs news report.
stingy bees that live Brazil and are significantly smaller than the bees brought to America in the 1950s to help increase the size of fruit and vegetable crops.
4-year-old Annika Arnaut discovers two colonies that disappeared 70 years ago in America
Arnaut finds stingless bees at an unknown place, which she calls a ‘special place’
Martin Hauser, a senior insect biosystemist at the California Department of Food and Agriculture who received the discovered samples, said the US government had approached a Brazilian researcher decades ago to help pollinate crops across the country.
‘He [the Brazilian researcher] In the ’50s they were sent to Gainesville, Florida, Logan, Utah and Davis and Palo Alto, Hauser said. ‘And he said that in one year all the bees were dead.’
‘He didn’t like the cold weather in Utah. They couldn’t compete in Florida.’
The bees – which, despite their name, have stings, although they cannot be used for defense – were sent to Stanford professor Dr. George Schaefer was also sent.
Stinger bees (below) generally live in Brazil and are much smaller than bees (top)
Experts believe that these bees are descendants of people who were brought to America in the mid-20th century, as Hauser admitted that he hadn’t heard of them until 20 years ago.
They received inquiries from Richard Schmidt, a pest control person in Palo Alto, who sent them to the Santa Clara County Agriculture Department for further investigation.
“I hadn’t seen them before,” Schmidt told the news outlet.
‘They didn’t know what they were. And so, they sent it to the state.’
There are more than 300 species of stingless bees in Brazil, including this unnamed species, which was first described by a German researcher in 1900.
Some have suggested that the bees are known as ‘Annika’s bees’ in honor of Arnaut.
About 20 percent of the Neotropical stingless bees known to science are found in Brazil, most of which are capable of producing honey, according to a 2019 Study.
About 20 percent of neotropical stingless bees known to science are found in Brazil. (a) Nanotrigona testisicornis; (b) Tetragonisca Angustula; (c) Scaptotrigona sp.; (d) Melipona rufiventris; (e) Melipona quadrifasiata
In 2008, scientists learned that stingless bees have ‘cultural significance’ for the Annavene-Nave tribe in western Brazil, citing 48 species referred to by the tribe.
In 2008, scientists learned that stingless bees have ‘cultural significance’ for the Annavene-Nave tribe in western Brazil, citing 48 species referred to by the tribe.
Scientists in July 2020 discovered that some species of stingless bees form honeycombs that resemble the molecular structure of crystals.
It is likely that many more species remain to be discovered, A. According to 2014 study.
Photos of the stingless bees discovered by Arnaut were posted to iNaturalist by his caregiver, biologist Targe Lindsay.
Dr Hauser said he was ‘very impressed’ that Annika found two colonies, while ‘all scientists found none.’
Upon meeting her, he presented a bug book in which he wrote: ‘To Annika, for many more discoveries to come.’
.