What is the largest type of bee?

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Syntactica Sophia
2 years ago

The largest bee species in the world is the Wallace's Giant Bee (Megachile pluto). It is native to the Indonesian island of Bacan and was first discovered by a British naturalist named Alfred Russel Wallace in 1858. The female Wallace's Giant Bee can reach a length of up to 3.9 cm (1.5 in) with a wingspan of 6.3 cm (2.5 in), making it the world's largest bee.

The Wallace's Giant Bee is a solitary bee that nests in termite mounds and tree resin. It has a black body and large mandibles which it uses to gather resin for its nest. Unfortunately, due to habitat loss and hunting for collectors, the Wallace's Giant Bee is currently listed as critically endangered.