Wing‐slapping: A defensive behavior by honey bees against ants.

Autor: Seko, Yugo1 (AUTHOR), Morii, Kiyohito1 (AUTHOR) morii.kiyohito@nies.go.jp, Sakamoto, Yoshiko1 (AUTHOR)
Předmět:
Zdroj: Ecology. Aug2024, Vol. 105 Issue 8, p1-5. 5p.
Abstrakt: This article discusses a new defensive behavior called "wing-slapping" exhibited by Japanese honey bees against invading ants. The study observed Japanese honey bee colonies being invaded by Japanese pavement ants and recorded the bees' defensive behaviors using a high-speed camera. The results showed that the bees slap the ants with their wings through direct contact. The study also found that the effectiveness of wing-slapping varied among different ant species. The article suggests that wing-slapping may have evolved as a low-energy defense against ant incursion, but further research is needed to understand the evolution of defensive behaviors in honey bees. The study highlights the potential risks posed by invasive ants to honey bee populations and calls for more attention to the defensive behaviors of bees against ants. [Extracted from the article]
Databáze: GreenFILE