Cornell Scientists Find 5.5 Million Ground-Nesting Bees in New York Cemetery
Updated
Updated · ScienceDaily · May 28
Cornell Scientists Find 5.5 Million Ground-Nesting Bees in New York Cemetery
7 articles · Updated · ScienceDaily · May 28
A 1.5-acre section of Ithaca's East Lawn Cemetery holds an estimated 5.5 million Andrena regularis bees, making it one of the largest ground-nesting bee aggregations documented.
The estimate came from 10 emergence traps set from March 30 to May 16, 2023; researchers collected 3,251 insects from 16 species and extrapolated a bee population of roughly 3 million to 8 million.
Historical records suggest the bees have occupied the cemetery since at least the early 1900s, aided by undisturbed sandy soil, low pesticide exposure and nearby spring blooms from Cornell Orchards.
The solitary bees are important pollinators for apples and other early-season plants, and the study found males emerge before females while nomad 'cuckoo' bees parasitize their brood cells.
Cornell researchers say the find underscores cemeteries' role as biodiversity refuges and have launched a citizen-science effort to identify and protect similar nesting sites from development.
Beyond cemeteries, what other overlooked urban landscapes could be secretly harboring critical pollinator populations?
Is this bee 'megacity' an ecological triumph, or a fragile population on the brink of collapse from a single threat?
How can this accidental bee sanctuary be replicated on farms to secure our food supply?
Record-Breaking 5.6 Million Ground-Nesting Bees Discovered in Urban Cemetery: Implications for Pollinator Conservation
Overview
In 2023, a pivotal study revealed that cemeteries can serve as vital refuges for ground-nesting bee populations, marking a major step forward in bee ecology. This groundbreaking research, published in Apidologie, showed that urban green spaces like cemeteries are crucial for supporting pollinators. The discovery was made possible by a collaborative team of researchers and significant funding from major institutions. Their work highlights how overlooked urban areas can play an essential role in biodiversity, emphasizing the need to protect these habitats for the health of pollinators and the broader ecosystem.