Most people think of bees as living in big hives, but the truth is quite different. About 90% of bee species are solitary. They often build their nests underground or in decayed wood. However, a recent discovery takes nesting behavior to a whole new level.
Researchers found ancient bee nests inside fossilized bones in a cave on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola. This is the first time scientists have seen bees using bones to create their nests, according to a study published in the journal Royal Society Open Science.
Lead author Lázaro Viñola-López, a postdoctoral researcher at the Field Museum in Chicago, expressed his excitement about this finding. “Normally, you don’t find insects here, only things like rodents or birds. Finding evidence of ancient bees in this cave was surprising,” he said.
This discovery fills a gap in the fossil record. Previous bee fossils from the Caribbean were mostly found in amber and were about 20 million years old. In contrast, the fossils that housed these bee nests are believed to be around 20,000 years old, offering a snapshot of how bees adapted over time.
Viñola-López noted that little is known about the ecology of Caribbean bees. This finding shows that their nesting habits are more diverse than we previously thought, pushing us to dig deeper into the specimens we collect to uncover hidden behaviors.
Exploring this cave, Viñola-López discovered layered fossils from over 50 species, including birds and reptiles. The researchers speculate that barn owls may have inhabited the cave, leaving behind bones of their prey. Other creatures might have fallen into the cave and died, contributing to the fossil layers.
Upon examining the fossils, Viñola-López noticed something intriguing: the dirt inside the tooth sockets resembled how wasps construct their cocoons. To confirm the nature of these nests, researchers used CT scanning to reveal that they were indeed made by bees, not wasps.
“Nesting in a cave is strange for bees,” Viñola-López pointed out. There’s only one other recorded instance of a similar behavior. Interestingly, even within one bone, there were signs of multiple generations of bees returning to the same spot, suggesting a communal nesting strategy.
While the caves preserved the nests well, they did not keep the insects’ bodies intact. Therefore, the exact species of bee remains unknown. For now, these nests have been named *Osnidum almontei*, after the scientist who first found the cave.
Geology professor Stephen Hasiotis, who did not participate in the study, praised the work. He emphasized that while no bee bodies were recovered, the nests provide valuable insight into the ancient environment where these bees lived. “The cave’s stable conditions probably protected the bees from predators and harsh weather,” he added.
Viñola-López hopes to conduct further surveys to see if similar nesting practices exist in other caves or islands. This research not only expands our knowledge of bee behavior but also highlights the potential changes insects have gone through in their environments over millions of years.
“Bees have adapted to various changes for about 400 million years,” said Anthony Martin, an environmental sciences professor at Emory University. He emphasized that these findings are a powerful reminder of bees’ resilience and adaptability.
