The Recent Spread of the Carpenter Bee Xylocopa pubescens (Hymenoptera, Apidae) in Europe, and First Record for the Aegean Archipelago

Abstract

The African species Xylocopa pubescens Spinola (Hymenoptera, Apidae) has recently stabilized in some European countries such as Cyprus, Greece, and Spain. Wood transportation and climate change are the main hypotheses for the spread of this non-native bee in Europe. I present the first record in the literature from Santorini and the Aegean Archipelago, confirming the Citizen Science data from different websites. The presence and the spread of this species in Europe are discussed.

Keywords

• Aegean Archipelago
• Alien Bees
• Citizen Science
• Santorini
• Xylocopa pubescens