Bumblebee Queens Can Breathe Underwater — And Scientists Just Figured Out How

Bumblebee queens spend up to nine months hibernating underground — and sometimes, that ground floods. A 2021 lab accident accidentally revealed they could survive a week fully submerged. A new study out this week finally explains how: underwater breathing, anaerobic metabolism, and extreme metabolic slowdown — three survival systems running at once. Kelly breaks down the science and what it means for bumblebee conservation as flooding events increase.

Link to Smithsonian article:

Bumblebee Queens Breathe Underwater to Survive Drowning, Revealing How They Can Live Submerged for a Week

Link to the Royal Society B Research Article:

Diapausing bumble bee queens avoid drowning by using underwater respiration, anaerobic metabolism and profound metabolic depression | Proceedings B | The Royal Society

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