Learn how bumble bee queens can stay alive underwater for over a week by minimizing their metabolism and saving energy.

They may use a "physical gill" for the job.

Queen bumble bees can survive fully submerged for a week, revealing how these pollinators endure spring floods and still start new colonies.

Environmental Communications Specialist Brett Peto contributed this story. A bumble bee queen has a lot resting on her wings. She lives for four seasons. During that time, she will survive winter, ...

To stay in the air when hovering over a flower, bumble bees continually flap their wings rapidly, a metabolic process that generates a massive amount of internal heat. Their flight muscles work so ...