Seven feet underground: India’s largest stingless bee discovered in Nagaland

Guwahati: Nearly seven feet beneath the forests of Nagaland’s Wokha district, scientists have discovered a remarkable new species of stingless bee that had remained hidden from science until now.

Named Tetragonula yikhumensis after Yikhum village, where it was first found, the insect is the largest stingless bee ever recorded in India and only the second subterranean species of its genus known from the country. The discovery has been reported in the international peer-reviewed journal Sociobiology.

The study was led by Noyingbeni M. Odyuo of Nagaland University, along with Sudipta Dey and A. Rameshkumar of the Zoological Survey of India, and Nagaland University researchers Bendang AO and Ranjit Kumar.

What makes the discovery extraordinary is not just the bee itself, but where it lives.

Instead of nesting inside tree hollows like most stingless bees, Tetragonula yikhumensis constructs elaborate underground colonies at an average depth of 209 cm (nearly seven feet). Researchers found that the subterranean nests resemble miniature fortresses, with protective walls made of resin and soil enclosing carefully arranged chambers for honey, pollen and brood.

The spherical nests contain five distinct sections—layers of honey pots, pollen pots, brood chambers, protective batumen walls and folded involucrum that shields the developing young. Some colonies even lacked visible entrances, adding another mystery to the species’ unusual nesting behaviour. Of the 12 colonies examined, seven had entrance tubes above ground while five had none.

Researchers believe the underground lifestyle could help protect colonies from predators, harsh weather and other environmental disturbances, although the study did not specifically test these possibilities.

The discovery was anything but accidental.

Scientists spent nearly three years, from November 2022 to June 2025, surveying forests across Wokha district. They collected specimens from 12 locations before confirming that the bees represented a species previously unknown to science. Three nests were excavated to study their remarkable architecture.

Measuring about 5.5 mm in length, the new species is larger than all other stingless bees known from India.

It was identified through a detailed examination of 44 morphological characteristics, including distinctive body features and male genital structures that distinguish it from closely related species.

The researchers also documented striking variations within the species. Worker bees from different colonies displayed eye colours ranging from reddish-brown to green and yellow, along with differences in body colour and hair density, despite belonging to the same species.

Another fascinating observation came from inside the nest, where young worker bees were seen chewing through the tops of their brood cells before emerging as adults, offering a rare glimpse into the little-known life cycle of these underground pollinators.

Stingless bees are among the world’s most important tropical pollinators.

They have existed for more than 65 million years and are valued for producing medicinal honey and other hive products with therapeutic properties, besides playing a crucial role in pollinating wild plants and agricultural crops.

The discovery further strengthens Northeast India’s status as a biodiversity hotspot.

The region is home to 14 of India’s 25 known stingless bee species, and Tetragonula yikhumensis is the first subterranean stingless bee reported from Nagaland and the first from the state to be described in detail using both male and worker specimens.

For the researchers, the tiny bee is a reminder that Nagaland’s forests still hold many secrets. Hidden beneath the forest floor for generations, Tetragonula yikhumensis shows that even today, entirely new species continue to emerge from one of India’s richest biodiversity landscapes.

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