Millions of bees have thrived under a New York cemetery for more than a century

Morning walk From the East Lawn Cemetery in Ithaca, New York, he discovered an enormous colony of about 5.5 million bees underground. The discovery was published by a research team from Cornell University in April in the journal pathologydocuments one of the largest populations of these insects ever recorded. Populations belonging to this type Ordinary adrenalineoccupying an area of ​​about 1.25 acres and are essential for pollinating the area’s orchards, demonstrating that historic cemeteries can be unexpected refuges for urban biodiversity.

The genesis of discovery

In the spring of 2022, Rachel Fordyce, then a lab technician in Cornell University’s Department of Entomology, noticed an unusual insect presence on her usual walk to work. After collecting some samples, I showed them to Brian Danforth, an entomologist at the same university. Analysis revealed that they were Ordinary adrenalinewhich is commonly called the mining bee or mining bee. Unlike honeybees, this wild species has a solitary lifestyle and nests by digging tunnels in the ground. Historical records indicate that the insect has been present in the cemetery, which was established in 1878, since at least the early twentieth century.

Census

To calculate the size of the colony, scientists placed 10 traps in the cemetery between late March and mid-May 2023. These small mesh screens cover less than one square meter of soil and direct insects emerging from the ground into a glass enclosure. More than 3,000 insects belonging to 16 species were sampled, including bees, beetles and flies, with an enormous insect prevalence. Ordinary adrenaline. By extrapolating the average density found in the traps, the researchers estimated the total population at between 3 million and 8 million, with an average value of 5.5 million, equivalent to more than 200 local beehives.

The search yielded previously unpublished data on the biology of this little-studied insect. The traps revealed that males emerge from the ground a few days before females during the first warm days of April, a strategy that increases the chances of mating. Next, females dig nests and lay eggs in cells filled with pollen and nectar. This species overwinters its adult stage underground, allowing it to become active very early in the spring, in perfect synchronization with the flowering of apple trees in the orchards of nearby Cornell University. Monitoring also revealed complex ecological dynamics, such as bee parasitism Nomadic Bedouins Species, which lay eggs in the nests of host species at the expense of native larvae.

A heritage that must be preserved

This discovery highlights the need to protect nesting sites for wild bees, 75% of which are solitary species that live underground. Places like ancient city cemeteries provide ideal conditions: sandy soil that is easy to dig, no pesticides, and an environment that is not subject to the profound changes typical of intensive agriculture or housing development. To prevent populations of this size from being accidentally destroyed by concrete pouring or roadwork, the study authors launched a global campaign Citizen science initiative. The project calls on citizens to report the presence of underground bee populations in order to survey and protect these vital pollinators before habitat fragmentation jeopardizes their survival.

This story originally appeared on Wired Italy It was translated from Italian.