Cornell Researchers Discover 5.5 Million Wild Bees Under New York Cemetery
Scientists have discovered an estimated 5.5 million wild bees, specifically Andrena regularis (the regular mining bee), living in underground burrows beneath East Lawn Cemetery in Ithaca, New York. This aggregation, spanning just 1.5 acres, is considered one of the largest nesting aggregations ever recorded for solitary insects. The discovery originated when a Cornell University entomology lab technician, Rachel Fordyce, noticed bees emerging from the turf in 2022. Researchers subsequently used emergence traps to estimate the population, finding between three and eight million bees, with 5.5 million as the midpoint. Unlike honeybees, mining bees are solitary, with each female digging her own burrow, stocking it with pollen and nectar, laying eggs, and sealing the entrance. The cemetery's sandy, well-drained soil, minimal pesticide use, diverse flora, and undisturbed ground have created an ideal habitat for these bees, which have likely been present for nearly a century, with specimens dating back to 1935. ... 
