Millions of ground-nesting bees found thriving beneath a cemetery

Scientists discovered a massive underground colony of ground-nesting bees (Andrena regularis) beneath East Lawn Cemetery in Ithaca, New York, estimating 3.1 to 8 million bees emerged in a single season—enough activity to rival hundreds of honeybee hives—highlighting the crucial role of solitary bees in pollination and biodiversity and underscoring cemeteries as overlooked habitats that deserve protection; the study notes low parasitism and timing patterns in bee emergence that aid survival.