Social Waves in Giant Honeybees Repel Hornets

Giant honeybees (Apis dorsata) nest in the open and have evolved a plethora of defence behaviors. Against predatory wasps, including hornets, they display highly coordinated Mexican wave-like cascades termed shimmering. Shimmering starts at distinct spots on the nest surface and then spreads across the nest within a split second whereby hundreds of individual bees flip their abdomens upwards. However, so far it is not known whether prey and predator interact and if shimmering has anti-predatory significance. This article reports on the complex spatial and temporal patterns of interaction between Giant honeybee and hornet exemplified in 450 filmed episodes of two A. dorsata colonies and hornets (Vespa sp.). Detailed frame-by-frame analysis showed that shimmering elicits an avoidance response from the hornets showing a strong temporal correlation with the time course of shimmering. In turn, the strength and the rate of the bees' shimmering are modulated by the hornets' flight speed and proximity. The findings suggest that shimmering creates a shelter zone of around 50 cm that prevents predatory wasps from foraging bees directly from the nest surface. Thus shimmering appears to be a key defence strategy that supports the Giant honeybees' open-nesting life-style.

Kastberger G, Schmelzer E, Kranner I (2008) Social Waves in Giant Honeybees Repel Hornets. PLoS ONE 3(9): e3141. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0003141

Category:

Education

Tags:

• insects

[HighAway]

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[D3monxx]

@MrJunward for your information its not actually fake. If you haven't been watching the fucking episodes for the animals you should say shit! so your little as self which we call a kid is dumb as shit. Learn how to watch a video then talk shit.

[MrJunward]

fake and gay!

[ultimateaqwninja8]

hey guys if you're freakin' afraid of freakin' chain mails don't read cyril's comment or you will be forced to waste your time

[BlackShadowWingPR]

@cyril2018 this comment is schyco

[Tom6093]

@lagas5 Bee 19,045 to 20,005, " Thats the queens sister retard. You date her and you might as kiss your little stinger goodbye." Bee 20,005 to 19,045, " Ahhh, whats wrong sheldon ? You jealous ? Your old an your about dead anyway so what do you care ?"

[lagas5]

@Tom6093 Bee 20,005 to Bee 20,004: "*Whispers* Dude i told you don't fuck about now we gotta do honey duty tonight man.. i was gonna go out with this fine bee tonight man.. you see that girl? 20,036 that's her."

[Tom6093]

@lagas5 Queen Bee to both. " You did mean your hinus Right ? Drop down and give me 20 , and your pulling honey duty at 0 300 hrs tonight"

Both Bees to queen, " Yes ma'am ...um. we mean your hinus "

[lagas5]

@Tom6093 both to Queen Bee: Yes Ma'am

[Tom6093]

@lagas5 Bee 20,004 to 20,005...." I ain't no slouch either friend, I met a master bee 2 days ago. He taught me how to sting without losing my butt. I can sting that motha fucka more then once. He won't know what capped him".

Queen bee to both, " Shhhhh, or I'll go get some of my Japanese hornet friends and they'll rip off your heads. NOW SHUT UP AND WAVE ON MY MARK ...MAGGOTS !!!!!!"