April 14, 2021 at 2:19 pm
Japanese Honey Bees Kill Giant Hornet Scout with Heat
In this fascinating clip from BBC’s “Natural World: Buddha Bees and The Giant Hornet Queen”, Japanese honey bees demonstrate a unique defence against their deadly enemy, the giant hornet.
By luring the scout into their hive, they are able to swarm their much larger counterpart, overheating it and roasting it alive. The bees can tolerate 2 more degrees of heat than hornets before they overheat themselves, an advantage they have learned to harness.