Paleontologists have unearthed the first-ever fossilized beehive built inside animal bones, dating back roughly 20,000 years. The finding, detailed in a recent Royal Society Open Science study, reveals that some bee species were far more adaptable – and opportunistic – than previously understood. This discovery highlights how little we still know about bee behavior, even in the modern era.
The Unexpected Nesting Site
Most bees are solitary creatures, not the large-colony insects many envision. They seek small cavities for nests, laying eggs and leaving pollen for larvae. While they commonly use wood, ground burrows, or even snail shells, a bone cavity is unprecedented. The fossilized nests were found in limestone caves in the Dominican Republic, a region rich in prehistoric remnants preserved by unique geological conditions.
These caves act as natural time capsules: owls hunt and regurgitate undigested bones into them, creating layered fossil deposits over millennia. The caves’ depth and dark inhabitants—including tarantulas—make exploration challenging, but paleontologists have been carefully excavating them for years.
How the Discovery Was Made
Researchers stumbled upon the nests while examining fossils from owl pellets. The team noticed unusual, smooth sediment accumulating inside the tooth sockets of mammal jaw fossils. This wasn’t dirt, but a deliberate structure.
CT scans confirmed the structures resembled fossilized wasp cocoons, containing traces of pollen—food left for bee larvae. The absence of preserved bee bodies is typical; humid cave conditions don’t favor exoskeleton preservation. However, the presence of pollen suggests the bees may belong to a species still alive today, given limited ecological knowledge of Caribbean bees.
Significance and Implications
This is the first known instance of bees nesting in bones, either fossilized or modern. The Dominican Republic’s unique limestone terrain, with sparse soil, may have forced bees to utilize available cavities, including discarded bones from owl hunts. This finding underscores how adaptable insects can be when facing environmental constraints.
“This discovery shows how weird bees can be—they can surprise you,” says researcher Lazaro Viñola López. “But it also shows that when you’re looking at fossils, you have to be very careful.”
The find serves as a reminder that even seemingly well-understood ecosystems hold surprises. The behavior of these bees suggests a wider range of nesting strategies than previously documented, and further exploration may reveal similar adaptations in other regions.
