Morning walk through the East Lawn Cemetery in Ithaca, New York, revealed a large colony of about 5.5 million bees from underground. The discovery, which a Cornell University research team published in April in the journal Apidologydocument one of the largest collections of these insects ever recorded. Population, species property Normal adrenalineit occupies an area of 1.25 acres and is important for the pollination of the area’s gardens, showing that historic monuments can prove an unexpected haven for urban wildlife.
The Beginning of Discovery
In the spring of 2022, Rachel Fordyce, then a laboratory technician in Cornell University’s entomology department, noticed an unusual presence of insects during her usual walk to work. After collecting some specimens, he showed them to Bryan Danforth, an entomologist at the university. Analysis revealed that they were Normal adrenalinecommonly called miner or miner bees. Unlike honey bees, this wild species lives a solitary life and nests by digging tunnels in the ground. Historical records show that the insects have been present at the cemetery, established in 1878, since at least the early 1900s.
Census
To quantify the size of the colony, the scientists placed 10 traps in the cemetery between the end of March and mid-May 2023. These small net curtains cover less than one square meter of soil and path insects that emerge from the bottom of the glass container. More than 3,000 insects from 16 species were sampled, including bees, beetles and flies, with a high prevalence of Normal adrenaline. Extrapolating from the average density found in the traps, the researchers estimated a total of 3 million to 8 million individuals, with an average value of 5.5 million—the equivalent of more than 200 hives of domestic bees.
The study provided previously unpublished data on the biology of this little-studied insect. The traps revealed that males emerge from the ground a few days earlier than females during the first warm days of April, a strategy that increases mating opportunities. Later, females dig nests and lay eggs in cells filled with pollen and nectar. This species has the exception of wintering in the adult stage underground, which allows it to work very early in the spring, in perfect harmony with the flowering of the apple trees in the nearby garden of Cornell University. Monitoring also revealed the presence of complex ecological dynamics, such as bee parasites. Nomads detained species, which lay their eggs in host-type nests at the expense of the initial larvae.
Preserving Heritage
The discovery highlights the need to protect the nesting sites of wild bees, 75 percent of which are unique subterranean species. Places such as ancient urban cemeteries offer ideal conditions: sandy soil that is easy to dig, no pesticides, and an environment that is not affected by large-scale changes in agriculture or residential development. To prevent a population of this size from being accidentally destroyed by pouring concrete or road work, the authors of the study have launched an international initiative. citizen science plan. The project invites citizens to report the presence of underground bee colonies in order to investigate and protect these important pollinators before habitat fragmentation threatens their survival.
This story has appeared before WIRED Italy and translated from Italian.
