Honeybees Defend Their Hive by Slapping Invading Ants

image via New Scientist

July 26, 2024, 11:00 AM

• •Japanese honeybees use their wings to slap back ants trying to invade their hive.
• •The bees' neat, precise wing-slap is like a tiny buzzing brawler.
• •The researchers found that wing-slapping was the honeybees' most common strategy against ants.

Japanese honeybees use their wings to slap back ants trying to invade their hive. The bees tilt their bodies toward the ants, then flap their wings while simultaneously turning their bodies. This defense is most effective against two of the studied ant species, but less effective when a bigger, faster species is involved.

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