It is protected by the King in Council and is one of Norway’s rarest beetles. The hermit beetle was considered extinct in this country, until it was found living in old trees at Tønsberg’s old cemetery. According to the Norwegian Institute for Natural Research, NINA, it lives nowhere else in Norway. Until Monica Alice Sørfjord had a guest she won’t soon forget. – Surprising – I have never seen such a large beetle before, she laughs and estimates that it was around four centimeters long. Monica Alice Sørfjord measured the beetle at about 4 centimeters. Photo: Monica Alice Sørfjord Sørfjord was fascinated. She put the beetle on a paper towel, measured it and took a picture. She then put it in the grass and has not seen it since. – Then a couple of days passed and I started to Google. Then I realized that it was very rare and protected, she says and feels honored by the wonderful visit. Sørfjord contacted biodiversity worker Magne Flåten in Tønsberg. It was he who first discovered that the beetles that everyone thought were extinct live in old, hollow ash trees in Tønsberg’s old cemetery. – A sporting achievement Sørfjord does not live too far from the cemetery. She estimates the distance to be 3–400 meters as the crow flies. It is still too far for it to be natural for the beetle to fly there, says Flåten. He still does not rule it out, if the beetle has been helped by the wind. – In that case, it is a sporting achievement that exceeds what we already know about the beetle. Magne Flåten counts insects for the Norwegian Institute for Natural Research. Photo: Lars Tore Endresen / news Sørfjord posted a post on the housing association’s Facebook page and asked if anyone else had seen the car. Then she got a response from a neighbor a few floors above. – She had discovered the beetle on her sweater after a swim at Kleiveren in Andebu, but she had been so scared that she threw it out on the balcony. It is probably the same beetle that ended up with me, laughs Sørfjord. Monica Alice Sørfjord. Photo: Private Magne Flåten has subsequently searched the mentioned area in Andebu, but has not found any traces of such beetles. – I don’t think they live up there. It is a mystery, he says. – Very special Researcher Anders Endrestøl at the Norwegian Institute for Natural Sciences has monitored the rare species for over 10 years. – It is not very often that we have received reports that it has flown or is found outside the cemetery. This was very special. It’s a bit of a mystery, he confirms. Anders Endrestøl, researcher at NINA. Photo: Privat The researcher has visited the residential area where Sørfjord lives to find out if he has overlooked places where the hermit beetle can be found. He found no sign of it. This means that he has concluded that it must have flown there with its own machine, but says that it is all highly uncertain. – The species is not very fond of flying, so it is a bit mysterious how it could slam into a terrace like that. Monica Alice Sørfjord regrets that she left the beetle in the grass. Later, she learned that it thrives best in old, hollow oak trees. – I wish I had taken care of it, then I could have placed it down in the cemetery. Published 22.07.2024, at 07.08 Updated 22.07.2024, at 11.16
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