Bees defend their hives against hornets with animal dung

HONEYBEES IN ASIA have it rough. Unlike their cousins in North America, where bee-eating hornets have arrived only recently, Asian bees are relentlessly hunted by these giant wasps. Constant attacks have kicked Asian honeybee evolution into high gear and resulted in the insects developing several defensive tactics besides simply using their stings. First, Asian honeybees build their nests as fortresses, with tiny entrances and tough walls. They also hiss aggressively at predators, to warn them they are being monitored. And, if that doesn’t work, they can swamp attackers in “bee balls”, which generate such heat that hornets inside are cooked alive. Now, a study published in , by Heather Mattila of Wellesley College, in Massachusetts, shows that these bees have yet another trick up their sleeves: they shield their homes with dung. and are known as murder hornets for a reason. When scouts from these species find a honeybee hive they land and leave chemical markers near the entrance. The scouts then return with up to 50 of their kin to launch an attack. Armed with powerful jaws and tough body-armour that makes them resistant to bee stings, the hornets besiege the hive’s entrance and try to tear it apart so that they can force their way in. They are attacked by guard bees as they do so, and are sometimes successfully driven away. But not always. Often, they get inside and, once there, each hornet kills thousands of bees. This slaughter paves the way for the hornets to gather the real target of the attack, the brood of larvae developing in the hive. These, they carry away to feed to their own young waiting back at the nest. That obliterates the hive.