How Japanese honeybees defend themselves from ‘murder hornets’ by surrounding them and vibrating their bodies to 116 degrees to COOK them to death
There is a war going on in nature – murderous Asian hornets are invading honeybee hives, and are decapitating the insects and feeding the bodies to their young.
There is a war going on in nature – murderous Asian hornets are invading honeybee hives, and are decapitating the insects and feeding the bodies to their young. However, Japanese honeybees have developed a counter attack that cooks the predators to death.
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Called ‘hot defensive bee balls,’ more than 500 workers bees surround the hornets and vibrate their muscles to produce heat up to 116 Fahrenheit -scorching the hornets within an hour
In the fall months, giant Asian hornets attack Japanese honeybee colonies to steal larvae and pupae to feed on. However, the bees come together in a spherical formation called ‘hot defensive bee ball,’ which traps the hornets inside
The bees vibrate their flying muscles that creates temperatures up to 116 degrees Fahrenheit. Within 30 minutes to one hour, the hornets are cooked to death
However, European honeybees, a common pollinator in the nation, have not yet developed hot defensive bee ball, and the hornets are decimating hives
The honey bees are able to create heat up to 116 degrees just by vibrating their muscles together in a large swarm
Researchers observed the attack in an experiment, which shows the worker bees forming the circle and attacking a decoy hornet
However, European honeybees, a common pollinator in the nation, have not yet developed hot defensive bee ball, and the hornets are decimating hives.
The giant hornets, which are more than double the size of honeybees and have a wingspan over three inches,
The insects also have a large stinger filled with venom that contains neurotoxin, which is capable of causing both cardiac arrest and anaphylactic shock