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Bees

Andrena regularis, or the regular mining bee, is an important pollinator species.

Scientists Found 5.6 Million Burrowing Bees Beneath a Cemetery in New York. The Group Is One of the Largest on Record

Researchers in Ithaca estimated the number of ground-nesting bees emerging from a local cemetery in spring 2023, revealing just how abundant some understudied pollinators are

Getting caught in the rain can be fatal for bees since they breathe through tiny openings in their exoskeleton.

See the Amazing Images That Showcase the Short, Brilliant Lives of Honeybees Throughout the Seasons

A new book follows the insects through rain and shine and highlights the unique behaviors of each bee in a colony

In a first for small-brained animals, the study found that bumble bees can keep track of a beat even as it speeds up and down. 

Despite Their Tiny Brains, Bumblebees Have a Surprising Sense of Rhythm, According to a New Study by Neuroscientists

By speeding up the tempo of alternating flashing lights, the scientists were able to demonstrate yet another example of the small insect’s remarkable mind

Common eastern bumblebee queens use underwater breathing and anaerobic metabolism to survive when submerged.

Bumblebee Queens Breathe Underwater to Survive Drowning, Revealing How They Can Live Submerged for a Week

After scientists accidentally discovered that the common eastern bumblebee can withstand flood conditions, they wanted to investigate what makes that super-ability possible

Larvae of the European black oil beetle, which are orange, ride bees to their nests and then chow down on bee eggs.

These Parasitic Beetles Mimic the Smell of Flowers So They Can Trick Bees and Raid Their Nests, New Research Suggests

They might be the first animals known to fake a floral scent

A small underwater lens made a coral in Indonesia look like another common lifeform.

See the Beauty of Corals, Beehives, Mushrooms and More in These 11 Images From the Close-Up Photographer of the Year Awards

Now in its seventh year, the competition honors macro, micro and close-up images snapped around the world

A worker bee (left) and a queen bee (right) slurp up artificial nectar during laboratory experiments.

Queen Bumblebees’ Tongues Aren’t Built for Slurping Nectar—Which Might Keep the Royals Homebound

Queen bumblebees have sparser hair on their tongues than worker bees, which makes them less efficient at lapping up nectar, new research suggests

Many stingless bees are native to Peru, where they pollinate the Amazon's diverse plants and food crops.

Honey-Making Stingless Bees in the Peruvian Amazon Become the First Insects to Gain Legal Rights

Two local ordinances granted rights to at least 175 stingless bee species in Peru, which are culturally and spiritually significant to Indigenous peoples and help maintain a healthy rainforest ecosystem

Ancient bees built nests in the hollows of rodent skulls, a new study suggests

Fossils Suggest That Some Ancient Burrowing Bees Made Their Homes in Rodent Skulls

While cleaning fossils retrieved from a cave on a Caribbean island, a researcher noticed something strange in the hollow tooth socket of a small skull

Spotted lanternflies have spread to nearly 20 states since 2014.

Bees Are Turning the Sticky-Sweet Secretions of Spotted Lanternflies Into Honey—and Some People Love the Smoky-Smelling Stuff

The invasive insects have been spreading across the United States for over a decade, leaving behind poop that bees are transforming into a less sweet, sometimes savory, honey

In a new study, 79 percent of black-spotted pond frogs successfully consumed the northern giant hornet.

‘Murder Hornets’ Might Strike Terror in Humans, but These Frogs Can Eat Them for Lunch

Watch a pond frog effortlessly devour the northern giant hornet, the largest hornet in the world, while sustaining stings that are deadly to many animals

The specimen was discovered in Western Australia. 

This Newly Discovered ‘Lucifer’ Bee From Australia Was Named After Its Devil-Like Horns

Researchers hope the discovery shines a light on bee conservation Down Under

The domestication of some species of bumblebee has had unintended consequences.

A Deep Look Into the Wild and Not-So-Wild World of Bumblebees

Over the past several decades the lives of the domesticated and native pollinators have increasingly overlapped

A new study examines how bees adapt to build honeycombs on top of various 3D-printed foundations.

Bees Manage to Build the Best Honeycombs, Even on Imperfect Foundations

In a new study, scientists tested how honeybees adapt to construct their hives on 3D-printed foundations of varying sizes

Researchers have developed a new, artificial supplement that can deliver crucial nutrients known as sterols to honeybee colonies and promote survival of larvae.

Researchers Develop a ‘Superfood’ for Honeybees to Fight the Drastic Decline of Their Colonies

Bees fed an enriched yeast supplement saw 15 times more of their larvae reach the developmental stage right before adulthood, according to a new study

The driver likely erred while making a sharp turn, setting millions of bees free.

14 Million Honeybees Escaped From an Overturned Truck in Washington State. Local Beekeepers Helped Corral Them

Most of the bees have now been recovered, and the road is open to the public again

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There's More to That

The Swarm of People Intent on Saving Our Bees

An army of experts and citizen scientists devoted to documenting and protecting the country’s native bees is telling us a lot about the hidden lives of these insects

A gold-green sweat bee lands on a common boneset flower in Hull, Massachusetts. The bee is a pollen generalist, visiting a wide range of plants.

This Intrepid Team of Bee Lovers Are Doing Everything They Can to Save Rare Native Species From Extinction

Iridescent sweat bees, hairy-faced mining bees, tiny Perdita minima the size of a gnat. Thanks to swarms of apiary enthusiasts, native species are finally getting the buzz they deserve

The invasive northern giant hornet, also called a murder hornet, has been eradicated from the United States.

Officials Declare the U.S. Free of ‘Murder Hornets’ in a Rare Victory Against an Invasive Insect

Five years after the first sighting in Washington state, intense efforts have eradicated the bee-killing hornets from the nation

Itty-bitty insects have an outsized impact on human culture.

From Silk Moths to Fruit Flies, These Five Insects Have Changed the World

It’s easy to write bugs off as pests, but consider the ways in which they have positively impacted our lives

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