A New York State cemetery may be home to nearly 5.6 million ground-nesting bees, according to a [new study](https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13592-026-01256-6). The colony is one of the largest ever recorded and likely one of the oldest, the researchers note.
Scientist have known that one species of these bees, *Andrena regularis,* has been at the East Lawn Cemetery in Ithaca, N.Y., since at least 1935. (The cemetery dates back to 1878.) But no one knew exactly how many bees lived there.
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**From Scientific American:**
A New York State cemetery may be home to nearly 5.6 million ground-nesting bees, according to a [new study](https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13592-026-01256-6). The colony is one of the largest ever recorded and likely one of the oldest, the researchers note.
Though bees are often depicted as [hive dwellers](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/movies/articles/titanic-avatar-director-james-cameron-173000840.html), the vast majority of species of these insects in the U.S.—around 70 percent—are in fact [ground-nesting bees](https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/there-are-4-000-species-of-native-bees-in-the-u-s/), or bees that burrow in the ground. These bees are often solitary, meaning they nest alone rather than in large groups, explains Bryan Danforth, an entomology professor at Cornell University and senior author of the new study.
Scientist have known that one species of these bees, *Andrena regularis,* has been at the East Lawn Cemetery in Ithaca, N.Y., since at least 1935. (The cemetery dates back to 1878.) But no one knew exactly how many bees lived there.
Read more: [https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/scientists-just-discovered-5-6-140800555.html?ncid=redditnewsus](https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/scientists-just-discovered-5-6-140800555.html?ncid=redditnewsus)
They better let them bee.
When asked how they made their discovery, the lead scientist stated “we just sort of bumbled into it”
“Hey!!! I’m buzzin’ heah! ***I’M BUZZIN’ HEAH!!!!!!***”