Millions of Bees Have Thrived Under a New York Cemetery for More Than a Century
A significant colony of approximately 5.5 million subterranean bees has been discovered in East Lawn Cemetery, Ithaca, New York. This finding, published by Cornell researchers, highlights the importance of historic cemeteries as refuges for urban biodiversity. The study emphasizes the need for conservation efforts to protect these vital pollinators and their nesting sites.
- ▪The colony consists of Andrena regularis, also known as mining or miner bees.
- ▪Researchers estimated the population to be between 3 million and 8 million bees.
- ▪The discovery underscores the ecological value of old cemeteries for supporting solitary bee species.
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| Original publisher | WIRED — Science |
| Canonical URL | https://www.wired.com/story/millions-of-bees-have-thrived-under-a-new-york-cemetery-for-more-than-a-century/ |
| Publication time | Sat, 30 May 2026 09:00:00 +0000 |
| Retrieval time | 2026-05-30T09:02:08.990Z |
| Last seen | 2026-05-30T09:02:08.990Z |
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Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
Simone ValesiniScienceMay 30, 2026 5:00 AMMillions of Bees Have Thrived Under a New York Cemetery for More Than a CenturyA walk in the cemetery led to Cornell researchers discovering an underground colony of bees with an estimated population of 5.5 million—one of the largest ever recorded.Photograph: Bryan Danforth/SpringerCommentLoaderSave StorySave this storyCommentLoaderSave StorySave this storyA morning walk through East Lawn Cemetery in Ithaca, New York, uncovered an immense colony of some 5.5 million subterranean bees. The discovery, which a Cornell University research team published in April in the journal Apidologie, documents one of the largest aggregations of these insects ever recorded.
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