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A common eastern bumble bee collects pollen on flowers outside the Cornell Cooperative Extension on September 22, 2015 in Albany, New York. An experimental error led a team of scientists researching bumblebees to make a startling discovery: the insects’ remarkable ability to survive underwater for up to a week.
During the cold season, queen bumblebees hibernate alone after male and worker bees die out at the end of autumn, Raine explained.Scientists believed that these conditions provide protection from flooding, which would be fatal to many terrestrial organisms, but the study shows that eastern common bumblebees can survive for at least a week.
While this study did not examine how the bees are able to survive, one possible explanation is that they are in diapause, said Raine, which is “a state of suspended growth and reproduction characterized by reduced oxygen intake,” according to the statement.During diapause, respiratory openings known as spiracles can close for extended periods and stop water from entering the body, and submerged bumblebee queens may also breathe through their skin, the researchers said.
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