A few years ago (spring of 2022, to be precise), lab tech for Cornell University’s entomology department Rachel Fordyce had taken her usual morning stroll through East Lawn Cemetery in Ithaca, New York, when something altogether unusual happened.

Out of seemingly nowhere, a bee appeared.

Then another, and another. Pretty soon she’d noticed they were actually all over the cemetery. And yet, no hives were to be seen. 

Knowing she had to investigate further, Fordyce captured a few specimens in a jar (brave soul) and continued on to work. 

This finding would lead to an incredible discovery

It turns out these bees were just part of a whopping 5.5 million bee mega-colony living underground throughout the property. For context: if these bees were the hive-dwelling sort, we’d see more than 200 hives........

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