Scientists have made a groundbreaking discovery in Nagaland’s Wokha district, uncovering a new species of stingless bee that has remained hidden from science until now. The insect, named Tetragonula yikhumensis after Yikhum village where it was first found, is the largest stingless bee ever recorded in India and only the second subterranean species of its genus known from the country.
The discovery 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. The study has been reported in the international peer-reviewed journal Sociobiology.
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.
The discovery was the result of a nearly three-year survey of forests across Wokha district, from November 2022 to June 2025. Scientists 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 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.
