Ever felt unwelcome in a room full of locals? Be thankful you aren’t an Asian hornet entering a Japanese honeybee hive, as chances are you would be slowly cooked alive in a blazing hot bee ball.
This “hot defensive bee ball”, as scientists have termed it, is the result of roughly 500 Japanese honeybees forming a circle around their arch enemy, the Asian hornet, and slowly melting it to death in gangland fury.
The honeybees generate the heat by rapidly vibrating their muscles until the victim reaches approximately 46 degrees Celsius. This temperature is held for nearly 20 minutes, while the hornet takes around an hour to die.
This bona fide blistering bee ball is triggered when honeybee guards detect an outsider breaching the colony entrance.
Researchers at Japan’s University of Tokyo believe it evolved because the honeybee’s stinger wasn’t strong enough to penetrate the hornet’s tough exoskeleton. They also found the bee’s brains process and then respond to the hornet’s threat of attack.
Takeo Kubo, Professor at the University of Tokyo Graduate School, was flabbergasted the heat didn’t affect the honeybees. He also said he was surprised at the bees “perfectly coordinated teamwork”.
However, the team doesn’t think this brutal, ballet-like behaviour makes the honeybees any smarter, instead saying “it’s merely a matter of development in response to environmental factors”.
In any case, the editors at The Fox Gazette think an hour of sociability and exercise is a wonderfully healthy way to eliminate a towering tyrant like the Asian hornet, who has laid waste to so many honeybee hives in times gone by.
Cecil Bloodstone says
April 6, 2012 at 12:42Dear Andy,
I generate lots of heat when I rapidly vibrate my muscle.
Love CB
Andy Tope says
April 12, 2012 at 22:13Thank you for that Cecil. Put your wild stinger away.
Kirk H. says
April 9, 2012 at 03:21Oh my this is really exotic. I haven’t seen bees burnt alive. What’s a known Japanese restaurant for this dish?
-Kirk
Andy Tope says
April 12, 2012 at 22:14Not sure Kirk, I’m sure it’s being done by someone somewhere though.
Funnily I thought of the guys and gals in Bangkok selling crispy grasshoppers when I wrote this.
Lovely to have you pop in.
Herbert Collins says
April 27, 2012 at 07:12I’m thankful that I’m not not an Asian Hornet who would ever have a chance of entering a Japanese bee hive and be burnt alive.
I loved reading about the whole process in your post.
Thanks for sharing.
-Herbert
Andy Tope says
May 1, 2012 at 10:18Herbert, I’m glad you’re not an Asian hornet too.
Thank you for your kind comment!
Johny Rhodes says
May 25, 2012 at 09:02God….that sounds crazy. Being burnt alive in a beehive! I could actually picture the process in my head, and it was terrifying.
Anywas, thanks for sharing this informative post.
-Johny
Andy Tope says
May 28, 2012 at 20:22Hi Johny,
I’m glad The Fox Gazette managed to terrify you in a safe environment. That’s one of our aims!
Thank you for your comment!