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Rare bee found 50 years after last sighting
9:19am Wednesday 7th May 2008
Comments (5)A RARE species of bee, last found in England 50 years ago, has surfaced in Thur-rock.
The tiny dufourea minuta has been seen in West Tilbury.
This has baffled scientists who have been left wondering if the bee has returned because of climate change, or whether it has been undiscovered all this time.
Members of the Bees, Wasps and Ants Recording Society are set to descend on the area this summer hoping to find more examples of the bee, or possibly another rare species, the closely related and very slightly longer dufourea halictula.
The dufourea minuta, which is only known by its Latin name, was discovered by the society's president Michael Archer, near West Tilbury village.
A report in the latest edition of the journal, British Wildlife, says he collected a few bees and after examining them in detail at home later, realised one was a male dufourea minuta.
This was the first British record since a female was found at Holt, Dorset, in August, 1956.
Your Say YourEcho
concerned, essex says...
12:55am Thu 8 May 08
Bob, Pitsea says...
7:20am Thu 8 May 08
Cheeky, Southend on Sea says...
8:09am Thu 8 May 08
Bob wrote:YES !
Found in Thurrock? Must be a member of the Bee NP!
They have a sting in the tail too !
Mr X Tinkt, Laindon says...
9:24am Thu 8 May 08
Thanks to all members for your continued support.
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Kim Gandy, Rayleigh says...
7:16pm Wed 7 May 08
Oh no, the Global Warming Brigade will use it as another stick to beat us with and all the local councils will go into overdrive.
Spy gadgets up your car exhaust, detritus detectors down your loo in case you did one log too many, bin spies, the lightbulb mafia, the palm oil patrollers and the garden waste guardia civil.
It will be open day for them all.
On a serious note, let's hope these creatures survive because on the reverse side of the coin, I am a devotee of Bill Oddie and his creatures. I love a good gambol out in the sticks. Nothing better.
Once again, reducing waste and emissions is COMMON SENSE and shouldn't be an excuse for stealth taxes.
It's this mentality that makes people so apathetic about nature and the countryside.