BBC Earth records rare footage of burrowing bee’s violent mating frenzy – watch nature’s brutal race to reproduce

BBC Earth records rare footage of burrowing bee’s violent mating frenzy – watch nature’s brutal race to reproduce

After spending a year underground, the female Dawson’s burrowing bee emerges from her colony – only to be pounced on by hundreds of potential mates

Published: May 5, 2025 at 12:58 am

Male Dawson’s burrowing bees outnumber the females by hundreds to one, making their mating ritual one of the most competitive in the animal kingdom. Each female will mate once, and then never again. They will have been dormant under the earth for nearly a year before they emerge in spring as the breeding season begins. 

The male has dozens of other challengers, who all guard the 10,000 entrances to the colony shown in this rare footage from BBC Earth. When the female emerges, a mating ball forms around her, as the males all fight for the opportunity to mate. The males attack their competitors using their powerful jaws and spiny legs, many losing their lives in the fight. This is certainly one of the more unusual mating rituals of the animal kingdom.

As shown in this shocking footage, the battle can sometimes even lead to the death of the female herself – the brutal, unintended outcome of this violent mating ritual. Find out about other animal mating rituals that end in death here.

Top image: Amegilla dawsoni, sometimes called the Dawson's burrowing bee, is a species of bee that nests in arid claypans in Western Australia (credit: Getty Images)

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