What do you call an undead bee? A Zombee! And guess what? They're real...
As reported by ABC News, Vermont beekeeper Anthony Cantrell was shocked to discover zombie bees in his hive last October. What is a zombie bee, you ask? So-called zombie bees are created when a fly called Apocephalus borealis attaches itself to a bee and injects it with its eggs, which quite literally grow on the inside of the bee. The bizarre process causes significant neurological damage to the bees, essentially turning them into 'zombies.' Erratic, jerky movements and strange night activity have been reported in the bees that are infected.
Unlike human zombies, the zombees die shortly after being infected, and they never quite get around to feasting on the brains of non-infected bees.
Zombie bees were first discovered in California back in 2008, and they've since been documented in Washington, Oregon and South Dakota. The find in Vermont marks the first time they've been found in the eastern United States.
Beekeepers and scientists are worried that the fly eggs could eventually hatch from the dead bees and complete their life cycle inside the hive. Professor John Hafernik, who first discovered the zombie bees, says that would be a "game changer." I'll say!