Queen bumblebees surprise scientists by surviving underwater for days

A bumblebee draws nectar from the flowers of a gooseberry bush in a garden outside Moscow on May 12, 2018. — Photo: AFP

Bumblebees can surprisingly withstand days underwater, according to a study published Wednesday, suggesting they could withstand increased floods brought on by climate change that threaten their winter hibernation burrows.

The survival of these pollinators that are crucial to ecosystems is "encouraging" amid worrying global trends of their declining populations, the study's lead author Sabrina Rondeau told AFP.