Millions of Bees Have Thrived Under New York Cemetery for Over a Century

Morning walk through the East Lawn Cemetery in Ithaca, New York, they found an estimated 5.5 million underground bees. The discovery, which the research team of Cornell University published in April in the journal Apidologyis one of the largest groups of insects ever recorded. Demographics, ethnicities Always adrenalineit covers an area of ​​about 1.25 acres and is important for pollinating the area’s orchards, showing that ancient cemeteries can serve as shelters for urban biodiversity.

The Beginning of Discovery

In early 2022, Rachel Fordyce, then a laboratory technician at Cornell University’s entomology department, saw a strange insect on her way to work. After collecting some samples, he showed them to Bryan Danforth, an entomologist at the same university. An examination revealed that he was Always adrenalinewhich is often called mining bee or bee. Unlike honey bees, these wild animals live alone and nest by digging tunnels in the ground. Historical records show that insects have been present at the cemetery, which was established in 1878, since the early 1900s.

Census

To estimate the size of the site, the scientists placed 10 traps in the graves between late March and mid-May 2023. These small net curtains cover less than one square meter of soil for the insects that come out of the ground into a glass container. More than 3,000 insects of 16 species were collected, including bees, beetles, and flies, with a high prevalence of Always adrenaline. In addition to the density found in the traps, the researchers estimate the number of people from 3 million to 8 million, with an average value of 5.5 million-equivalent to 200 beehives.

This study provided previously unpublished information on the biology of a little-studied insect. The traps revealed that males emerged several days earlier than females during warm April days, a process that increased mating opportunities. Afterward, the females dig nests and lay eggs in cells filled with pollen and nectar. The species is very different from the winter season during the adult population underground, which makes it active in early spring, in harmony with the flowering of the apple trees in the orchards of Cornell University. Monitoring also showed the presence of environmental problems, such as parasitism and bees Those who wander species, which lay eggs in the nests of the host species on the first money larvae.

A Heritage Worth Preserving

These findings show that it is important to protect the places where wild bees build their nests, and 75 percent of the bees are solitary creatures that live underground. Places like old urban cemeteries have the best conditions: sandy soils that are easy to dig, free of pesticides, and areas that are not affected by large-scale changes in agriculture or housing development. In order to prevent such a large number of people from being accidentally killed by concrete pouring or road works, the authors of the study have developed a global plan. citizen science nothing. The project calls on citizens to report the existence of underground bee colonies in order to investigate and protect these pests before land fragmentation destroys their livelihoods.

This article appeared first WIRED Italy and translated from Italian.