Rare bee discovered for first time in Syracuse area

Rare bee discovered for first time in Syracuse area



A rare bee species native to New York state was discovered in the Syracuse area for the first time in July.



Molly Jacobson, a SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry pollinator ecologist, collected two specimens of Andrena rehni, also known as the chestnut mining bee, from American chestnut trees growing at the school’s experimental orchard on the city’s southern boundary.



The discovery not only marks the first confirmed sighting of the chestnut mining bee in CNY, but also the second known population in the state.



Andrena rehni was last recorded in southern New York in 1904, prompting the New York Natural Heritage Program to list the bee as ‘possibly extirpated’ in their 2022 Empire State Native Pollinator Survey assessment.



But in 2023, Jacobson rediscovered the bee at Lasdon Park & Arboretum in Westchester County. This new find in Syracuse represents the first time the bee has ever been found in New York north of the Hudson Valley.



“This is a significant record,” said Jacobson. “It expands the known range of the bee in New York and shows promise for its persistence in managed orchards, even in urban settings like Syracuse.”


The survival of chestnut mining bees is closely tied to the presence of American chestnut trees, which were decimated by chestnut blight in the early 1900s. SUNY ESF researchers are working to restore genetically-modified American chestnuts to the American landscape.Molly Jacobson | SUNY ESF



The bee is a solitary ground-nesting species and pollen specialist that relies exclusively on chestnut and chinquapin flowers. Its survival is closely tied to the presence of these trees, which were decimated by chestnut blight in the early 1900s.



ESF’s experimental orchard in Syracuse includes a variety of chestnut trees—from wild American and chinquapin to hybrids and Chinese varieties—offering researchers a unique opportunity to study the bee’s preferences and behavior.



“We still know very little about the ecology and biology of this bee,” Jacobson said. “No nests have ever been found, and future research could focus on whether it will use non-native chestnut species.”