A century-long bee colony under an Ithaca cemetery shows how quiet urban spaces can sustain vital pollinators, useful context for a colleague or friend following conservation.
5.5M bees thrived under a cemetery Story flow and key facts
A massive underground bee colony has been quietly thriving beneath East Lawn Cemetery in Ithaca, New York, for over a century. Researchers from Cornell University identified the population as Andrena regularis, a solitary mining bee species, after a chance observation in 2022. The colony spans about 1.25 acres and is estimated to contain 5.5 million individuals—equivalent to more than 200 domestic honeybee hives. These bees play a crucial role in pollinating apple trees in nearby university orchards, emerging in early spring in sync with the bloom cycle.
To assess the population, scientists deployed 10 soil traps between March and May 2023, capturing over 3,000 insects. The data revealed not only the colony’s size but also behavioral insights: males emerge a few days before females to maximize mating chances, and females provision their nests with pollen and nectar for the next generation. The species uniquely overwinters as adults underground, allowing them to be among the first pollinators active each spring.
The cemetery’s undisturbed, sandy soil and lack of pesticides have created ideal nesting conditions. Unlike intensively managed farmland or developed urban areas, such historic cemeteries offer rare sanctuaries for ground-nesting bees. With 75% of wild bee species nesting underground, the discovery underscores the importance of protecting these overlooked habitats. The Cornell team has launched a citizen science initiative to identify and conserve similar sites globally before construction or land use changes destroy them.
Facts
- A colony of 5.5 million Andrena regularis bees was discovered beneath East Lawn Cemetery in Ithaca, NY.
- The bees have lived undisturbed since at least the early 1900s, occupying 1.25 acres of sandy soil.
- Researchers from Cornell University estimated the population using soil traps deployed from March to May 2023.
- Andrena regularis bees emerge in early spring, synchronizing with apple tree flowering at Cornell’s orchards.
- The species overwinters as adults underground and faces parasitism from Nomada imbricata bees.
- The team launched a global citizen science initiative to protect similar underground bee habitats.
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