Cornell Discovers Massive Bee Aggregation

In spring 2022, Rachel Fordyce, a lab technician at Cornell University, discovered a massive aggregation of ground-nesting bees in East Lawn Cemetery in Ithaca, New York. Subsequent research by Cornell University, led by professor Bryan Danforth and undergraduate Steve Hoge, identified the bees as Andrena regularis, or 'regular mining bees,' a solitary wild bee species crucial for pollinating crops. Scientists estimate the site is home to roughly 5.5 million individual bees concentrated within a 1.5-acre area, making it one of the largest and oldest known aggregations ever documented. The study, published in Apidologie, explored the biology of these bees, their importance as pollinators for valuable agricultural crops like apples, and the role of undisturbed habitats like East Lawn Cemetery in supporting biodiversity. The research also documented brood parasitism by Nomada imbricata, a 'cuckoo bee.' Funding for the research came from the United States — National Science Foundation and the Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability. The research team has launched a global citizen science initiative to encourage the reporting and protection of similar nesting sites.