- Bees survive underwater experiment, shocking scientists
- Research veered off course, leading to unexpected discovery
- Bumblebees exhibit remarkable resilience underwater, study reveals
A group of scientists made the “shock” discovery that bees can survive for an entire week submerged in water by accident while experimenting.
The primary objective of the research conducted in 2022 was to determine how pesticide residues in soil affected queen bees that were hibernating underground.
On the contrary, the trajectory of the experiment veered off course when an unintended accumulation of water occurred unintentionally on quiescent queen bees.
The sleeping monarchs were submerged in water because the condensation accumulated in the refrigerator seeped into the tubes containing them.
Concerned that the accident had wiped out all of their bees, researchers at the University of Guelph in Canada were taken aback to discover that a significant number of them had managed to survive.
According to Dr. Sabrina Rondeau, the study’s primary author, “I’ve been researching bumblebees for an exceptionally long time.”
“Despite discussing it with numerous individuals, nobody was aware that this was even a possibility.”
In further examination of the fortuitous and unintended discovery, she resolved to carry out a subsequent experiment.
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The group collected 147 hibernating monarchs in tubes for durations ranging from eight hours to seven days. A comparison group of some queens was left without water, while others floated in water or were completely submerged using a plunger.
Surprisingly, 81% of the hibernating monarchs that were submerged survived not only seven days but also eight weeks after being returned to dry conditions.
Dr. Rondeau noted that additional research is required to determine the long-term effects on the health of the bees and the influence it may have on a colony.
She further stated that the common eastern bumblebees utilized in the research are indigenous to North America, exhibit remarkable resilience, and do not experience population declines to the same extent as other species.
Dr. Rondeau stated that they are now pondering whether this species’ resistance to inundation contributes to its relatively slow rate of population decline.
To ascertain the prevalence of the trait, the study must be replicated on additional bumblebee species. However, the speaker expresses optimism that “at least (flooding) is not another major threat that we must consider.”
