A rare bee has been spotted in San Diego County following a three-year absence of observations, officials announced Wednesday.
According to the National Parks Service, in early September 2020, a population of Anthophora urbana clementina (San Clemente Digger Bee) known to only be on San Clemente Island, was discovered at Cabrillo National Monument.
Community scientists and researchers began gathering data about the island bees to confirm their presence on the mainland, and a scientific note was later published in the journal Apidologie.
The San Clemente Digger Bee is a subspecies of Anthophora urbana native to the southernmost Channel Island, which is owned and operated by the U.S. Navy.
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However, despite searching the park, the bee wasn't seen again on the mainland. Since the beginning of the surveys in March 2021, nearly 3,200 observations of native bees were made on iNaturalist.org and over 60 other species of bees were confirmed.
Finally, on July 29, 2024, an individual of the species was spotted foraging on California Aster on Cabrillo National Monument's Bayside Trail. Just two days later, another individual was photographed on the same trail visiting California Buckwheat.
"The great mystery as to why and how the San Clemente Digger Bee made its way to Cabrillo National Monument has yet to be solved," the NPS statement reads. "However, its presence prompted an uptick in observations and recorded data of other bees by researchers and community scientists, expanding our knowledge of local species."
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Rangers encourage visitors to help them unravel this and many other wildlife mysteries, by dropping by for a visit and recording nature observations with community science apps like iNaturalist.
