Bumblebee queens can survive underwater for up to a week using a remarkable combination of breathing techniques and metabolic adaptations. When accidentally submerged in a lab fridge, queens that appeared dead revived after removal, sparking research into this unexpected ability.

Scientists discovered that diapausing queens employ both underwater breathing and anaerobic metabolism to endure flooding. Oxygen levels in water dropped 40 percent when queens were submerged, while carbon dioxide production remained steady—evidence they extract oxygen directly from water. This dual strategy allows survival when soil saturation threatens overwintering queens.

After eight days underwater, bees showed dramatic increases in carbon dioxide production during recovery—more than tenfold—indicating a burst of anaerobic metabolism followed by a return to normal levels. Lactate measurements confirmed this metabolic shift, with levels more than doubling underwater but remaining far below what anaerobic metabolism alone would produce. The findings reveal how common eastern bumblebees combine aquatic breathing with traditional metabolic pathways, a first for terrestrial insects. Researchers now aim to determine if other bee species share this survival mechanism and how exactly the underwater breathing works.