Nature can adapt to even the most unpromising and uncompromising of physical environments, from deep oceans to arid deserts. And now we have a bee that lives in close proximity to an active volcano! The work is by one of my former PhD students, Dr Hilary Erenler (who is still a Visiting Researcher at the University of Northampton), and is featured in a big news story in the journal Science.
The full reference for the study, with a link to the journal, is:
Well done Hils, it’s a great study!
Prof. Jeff Ollerton - ecological scientist and author 
Amazing stuff. Hope the bees will survive their hot home for a good while yet.
Tawny Mining Bees used to leave chalky volcanoes all over the garden and patio, every Spring. 🙂 Seemed to particularly like the cracks in the crazy paving, which was solid chalk underneath. Amazing how many little ‘volcanoes’ there were each Spring, and then no sign of the bees again till the next.