Millions of Bees Discovered Under New York Cemetery, Study Finds
The Story
A Cornell University research team published a study in the journal Apidologie documenting an immense colony of about 5.5 million subterranean bees of the species Andrena regularis under East Lawn Cemetery in Ithaca, New York. The colony occupies about 1.25 acres and has been present at the cemetery, established in 1878, since at least the early 1900s, according to historical records cited in the study. The researchers estimated the population from trap samples collected between late March and mid-May 2023.
Key Facts
- The discovery was made in spring 2022 by Rachel Fordyce, then a laboratory technician in Cornell’s entomology department, who noticed an anomalous presence of insects during her walk to work and showed specimens to entomologist Bryan Danforth.
- Researchers placed 10 traps in the cemetery between late March and mid-May 2023; more than 3,000 insects from 16 species were sampled, with Andrena regularis overwhelming.
- The estimated total population ranges from 3 to 8 million, with an average of 5.5 million—equivalent to more than 200 domestic bee hives.
- Males emerge from the ground a few days earlier than females during the first warm days of April, a strategy that maximizes mating opportunities.
- The species winters at the adult stage underground, allowing it to become active early in spring in synchrony with the flowering of apple trees in nearby Cornell University orchards.
- The study also documented parasitism by Nomada imbricata bees, which lay eggs in the nests of the host species at the expense of the original larvae.
- The study’s authors launched a global citizen science initiative to report underground bee aggregations to protect them from destruction by construction.
Conflicting Reports
No conflicting reports identified in the source article.
Still Unclear
No open questions identified in the source article.
Misconceptions
No widespread misconceptions addressed in the source article.
Key Figures
- Rachel Fordyce, former laboratory technician in Cornell University’s entomology department
- Bryan Danforth, entomologist at Cornell University
Sources: Wired
