The Guardian has learned about a new species of Lucifer bee in Western Australia

In Western Australia, biologists from Curtin University announced the discovery of a new species of Lucifer bee (Megachile Hackeriapis Lucifer), characterized by unusual horns on its head. This was reported on November 11 by The Guardian newspaper.

The discovery was made by researcher Kate Prendergast from the School of Molecular and Biological Sciences. The insect was found back in 2019 while studying a rare, endangered wild flower.

"The female had tiny horns on her face—it looked impressive and a little sinister," Prendergast noted.

The bee got its name — Lucifer, which means "light bearer" — for its unusual, "diabolical" appearance. According to the scientist, this is the first new representative of this group of bees described in more than two decades, which highlights how little the biodiversity of Australia has been studied.

Prendergast expressed hope that the discovery would draw attention to the problem of loss of natural habitats.

"Many mining companies do not conduct research on native bees, and we may lose species that play an important role in ecosystems before we know they exist," she added.

Scientists estimate that almost all flowering plants depend on wild pollinators, but habitat loss and climate change are putting many of them at risk.

Earlier, on October 15, apitherapist, Candidate of medical Sciences Viktor Gubin said that bee venom began to be used to treat phantom pains in patients. According to him, the treatment starts with one bee and gradually increases to 6-8 stings per session. Bee venom stimulates the body, sometimes raising the temperature and causing intoxication, so a bioassay is performed before the course to exclude allergies.

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