![]() But scientists weren't certain how the insects' bodies pull off the stunt. Researchers already knew hundreds of buzzing bees can warm the centers of "hot defensive bee balls" to about 117 degrees Fahrenheit (47 degrees Celsius) for an hour without dying, according to the study. ![]() (Watch a video of "hornets from hell" attacking bees.) These hornets can bring down entire colonies," said Wulfi Gronenberg, a neuroscientist at the University of Arizona who was not involved in the new study. "These hornets go and rob honeybee colonies and the bees have no chance. and Europe, are sitting ducks against the hornets' merciless raids, scientists say. The quivering of muscle fibers from so many bees creates real heat that kills off the predators.Įuropean honeybee hives, common in the U.S. The bees' strange defensive tactic evolved because their venomous stingers are too small to pierce the thick exoskeletons of the giant hornets-insects which can grow about two inches (five centimeters) long. Though the gene activity doesn't seem to trigger the behavior, it might provide leads in explaining the insects' ability to withstand the heat of so called hot defensive bee balls, a new study says. Now scientists have found a genetic switch in the honeybees' brains that turns on during the attacks. In a battle with Asian giant hornets, Japanese honeybees turn up the heat-quite literally-by swarming around the hornets and cooking them to death.
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