Rare bee species not seen since 1980 spotted in Marin

 Rare bee species not seen since 1980 spotted in Marin

A rare bee species was seen in Marin County earlier this month for the first time in more than four decades. The San Francisco leaf-cutter bee (Trachusa gummifera) was spotted by a search party organized by the Tamalpais Bee Lab community science program.

According to the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, the rare species of bee didn’t turn up in initial surveys to inventory Marin’s wild bees. However, the search party was successful in finding it.

“Now, our scientists can learn more about this special species’ ecology,” the conservancy said in a social media post. “It’s hopeful news for Mt. Tamalpais’ biodiversity, and for other species that could still be out there.”

How rare is the bee? It’s endemic to the region — meaning it’s not found anywhere else — and it has only been seen less than 100 times before, ever. Before this most recent discovery, the rare bee was last seen in 1980 in the Mt. Tam region.