Himalayan giant honey bees have been found in Thailand for the first time, prompting experts to proclaim the find was proof the country has a perfect ecological system for rare species.
The discovery in Doi Pha Hom Pok National Park in Chiang Mai province was announced on Friday by the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation and a team of biology researchers from Chulalongkorn University's Faculty of Sciences.
The bees were found by chance last May when a team of biologists followed Kaiser-I-Hind, a rare butterfly found for the first time inside Doi Pha Hom Pok National Park in Chiang Mai's Fang district.
To their surprise, the team came across a school of bees with a completely black-hued abdomen, golden yellow fur in the thorax area and dull wings.
The team collected three samples for further detailed study.
According to Nattapot Warrit, one of the researchers on the team, this discovery is solid evidence to confirm the rare species' existence based on DNA testing after the first photo of the Himalayan giant honey bee, believed to have been taken in Thailand, was published in 2020 on the iNaturalist website.
He said giant bees are found in cold weather terrain at 1,000 metres to over 4,500 metres above sea level and with temperatures below 25C.
These bees were seen in China, Nepal, India, Myanmar and Vietnam, with no other prior record of sighting in Thailand. "The discovery proves that Thailand has a perfect ecological system for the cave bee. This pollinator plays a significant role in increasing the population of specific plants that grow in a low-temperature environment," Mr Nattapot said.
Around 95% of its hives were found in caves so it is also called a cave bee.
Due to its large population of 50,000-100,000 bees in one cave, it is regarded among the biggest honey producers in the world.
It is an important species in high mountainous landscapes because of its capability to help plants expand territories.
The biologist also expressed his concern over the increase of temperature due to climate change which may lead to the decline of the giant bee population.
"Our study found the giant bee migrates to Thailand in March and leaves in July. But if the temperatures on high mountains aren't cold enough, they might not come back."
The research team found three hives in the national park and expressed confidence that there might be more in other national parks in Chiang Mai province and the northeastern region.
Songkiat Tatiyanond, the department's deputy chief, said the discovery had confirmed the department's success in protecting the forest's fragile ecological system, adding the department would support further study of the rare bee.