Science & Tech · Science & Environment · 1 day ago
Fijian masked bee may have lost 99% of its population
Scientists say the Fijian masked bee, a tiny species formally described in 2024, may be close to extinction.
Researchers estimate its population has fallen by 99% over the past 150 years.
The bee was found in Fiji by University of Wollongong biologist James Dorey, and researchers later studied its genetic evidence.
They link the decline to habitat destruction and possible pesticide use following colonisation, as well as cyclones and a poisonous flowering plant that may attract the bees.
Bees pollinate plants that support human and animal diets and help ecosystems reproduce and survive.
Researchers have not returned to Fiji to check the bee’s population since 2024.
They say more research is needed to find and protect pollinators before they disappear.
Researchers estimate that Fiji’s masked bee, Hylaeus navai, has lost 99 per cent of its population over the past 150 years.
The species was formally described in 2024, and researchers say it is critically endangered.
They link the decline to habitat destruction and possible pesticide use following colonisation in Fiji.
Cyclones and the bees’ attraction to poisonous African tulip flowers may also pose risks.
Scientists say more research is needed to find and conserve pollinators.
- Who
- Researchers including Tegan Edwards and James Dorey from the University of Wollongong studied the bee.
- What
- They estimate the masked bee has suffered a 99 per cent population collapse and is critically endangered.
- When
- The estimated decline occurred over the past 150 years. The species was formally described in 2024.
- Where
- Fiji.
- Why
- Researchers point to habitat destruction and possible pesticide use, as well as cyclones and poisonous African tulip flowers.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
We see mutations in the bee's genome.
What we don't know, we can't conserve.
Pollinators underpin all of our systems, so we need to look towards conserving our pollinators.
James Dorey found one Hylaeus navai bee during a trip to Fiji.
Dorey found more of the bees on two visits to Fiji.
The masked bee was formally described, and researchers last revisited Fiji to check on its populations.
Researchers’ findings on the bee’s population collapse were published in Ecology and Evolution.
- Estimated population decline
- 99 per cent over 150 years
- Scientific name
- Hylaeus navai
- Formal description
- 2024
- First reported find by James Dorey
- One bee in Fiji in 2016
- Research journal
- Ecology and Evolution
Sources
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