A critically endangered species of bee has been spotted in Ireland for the first time in 26 years.
The Silver-sided Nomad Bee was found in Co Offaly on 11 August by net-sweeping Devil’s-bit Scabious, a common habitat for the rare species.
There have been just seven confirmed historic records of the bee for the island of Ireland.
It is the first time the Nomad bee has been seen in Co Offaly. Previous sightings have been confirmed in counties Galway, Laois and Carlow.
The Nomad Bee flies between mid-July to mid-September.
Nomad bees are ‘cleptoparasites’ meaning that, similar to a Cuckoo bird, they lay their eggs in the nest of a host species.
Their larva then steals host resources, such as collected pollen, to complete development.
This record follows on from new site records of the Small-scabious Mining Bee by the National Biodiversity Data Centre in August 2022, which followed a tip about the new site from a local wildlife recorder.
Both species are assessed as ‘Critically Endangered’ on the Regional Red List of Irish Bees.
The Silver-sided Nomad bee and Small-scabious Mining Bee are two of the 15 rarest and most threatened pollinators that the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan will be monitoring during 2026 to 2030.