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Honeybees make a chilling warning noise when attacked by hive-destroying murder hornets
https://edition.cnn.com/2021/11/09/asia/bees-warning-noise-murder-hornets-scn/index.html
(CNN)When a pack of giant hornets attacks a honeybee hive, the slaughter is brutal and quick. They descend en masse after a scout has identified the target hive, killing the defending adult bees, occupying their nest and harvesting the bees' brood to feed to their own young. The marauders can decimate a hive in hours.
But honeybees aren't defenseless against the so-called murder hornets, which are native to Asia but surfaced in the United States for the first time in 2019. The bees have their own survival strategies, including a unique and frenetic warning signal that triggers defensive moves, which has now been documented by scientists for the first time.
"I feel a visceral reaction when I hear them because it is clear that the bees are agitated," said Heather Mattila, an associate professor at Wellesley College's department of biological sciences, who was part of a team of scientists that identified the warning noise.
She described the warning signal, known as an "antipredator pipe," as harsh and noisy, with different durations and pitches similar to the shrieks, screams and panic calls used by mammals like primates and meerkats when they are afraid.
But honeybees aren't defenseless against the so-called murder hornets, which are native to Asia but surfaced in the United States for the first time in 2019. The bees have their own survival strategies, including a unique and frenetic warning signal that triggers defensive moves, which has now been documented by scientists for the first time.
"I feel a visceral reaction when I hear them because it is clear that the bees are agitated," said Heather Mattila, an associate professor at Wellesley College's department of biological sciences, who was part of a team of scientists that identified the warning noise.
She described the warning signal, known as an "antipredator pipe," as harsh and noisy, with different durations and pitches similar to the shrieks, screams and panic calls used by mammals like primates and meerkats when they are afraid.