The Apis cerana japonica, a subspecies of the eastern honeybee, commonly known as the Japanese bee, is very dynamic, and as soon as it senses the presence of a threat, such as a wasp, a bee of another species, or an ant, it mobilizes to protect its hive.
Previous studies have revealed that bees use their wings to dislodge pests, emit light to confuse predators, “dance,” or form a ball and increase their body temperature in response to a threat.
A team of environmentalists from the National Institute for Environmental Studies in Japan has now observed that these bees of the species when an ant approaches their nest, they prevent its entry by giving it a… slap.
In their study, published in the journal Ecology, the three scientists Yugo Seko, Kiyohito Morii, and Yoshiko Sakamoto recorded the behavior of Japanese bees using high-definition cameras and then analyzed the results in slow motion.
Photo: Ecology
The bees recorded using their wings drove away the small invaders by hitting them as hard as they could either with one wing or both.
The… victim appears in the video approaching the hive, possibly searching for food. The ant of the species Tetramorium tsushimae, characteristic of Japan, not only fails to accomplish its mission, but also receives a fierce hit from the bee.
The slow-motion footage (slowed down by up to forty times) reveals the reality: the worker bees turn towards the insect, hit it hard, and the ant, spinning in the air, ends up on the ground.
Of course, this method is not always effective, as in some cases the ant “freezes” in place, causing the bee to repeat the… slap, or when the ant was larger the blow is not enough to drive it away from the hive.
According to previous studies, some bee species prevent ants from entering the hive by “pushing” them away due to the air created by their wing movements. However, for the first time, the direct contact of the wings with the invaders is recorded, resulting in their immediate removal.
«This new behavior involving wing slapping proves to be the primary method used by Japanese bees for defending against invading ants. The results of this study provide significant insights into the evolution of defense behaviors in bees across various parts of the world,» the scientists conclude.