(Press W for Water scene, press H for Hive scene) In the flooded lands of China, a new pollinator has taken to these aquatic bamboo forests. The sea bee (Apis hydrophila) is a descendant of the eastern honey bee, which eventually became undomesticated after the extinction of humans. Like previously stated, the extinction of humans also gave rise to a new habitat: the flooded highlands. The flooded highlands are now littered with a new type of lotus: the gilded lotus(Nelumbo aurata), which are a sweeter smelling, salt-resistant lotus species with leaf "bowls" and floating roots. After China gradually started flooding with saltwater, lotus flowers started adapting to the new environment by increasing salt resistance, limiting salt intake, and evolving leaf "bowls" to catch rainwater. With the increased flooding, lotus flowers evolved floating roots, though young lotus flowers still stick to the waterbed until their roots develop enough. Sea bees continue to fill their ecological niche, though they now pollinate gilded lotus flowers. Sea bees have adapted to the water by evolving long thin legs to balance out their weight along the surface tension of water, allowing them to momentarily rest during their journeys. While golden pandas don't actively seek out sea bee honey, they occasionally knock sea beehives out of trees when leaping from bamboo stalks and trees. During this instance, the bees try to create a "raft" out of their larvae. Now, this may seem weird, but when a sea bee larvae perishes, they inflate like life-rafts and become buoyant. When enough larvae are connected with honey and saliva, they stick together as a "bee raft" that is used to keep the queen afloat.
Thanks to @SeCheeseZ and @Alien_Projects for help concepting! :D
