The Design of Honeybees' Defense Strategy

Giant hornets in Japan are perfect enemies for the honeybees of Europe. 30 hornets attacking a hive can exterminate about 30,000 bees in three hours. But the honeybees are created with a perfect defense mechanism.

When a hornet discovers a new bee colony, it communicates the news to others by secreting a special smell. The same odor is also detected by the honeybees, which start congregating at the entrance of the beehive for defense. When a hornet draws near, approximately 500 honeybees immediately surround it. They start vibrating their bodies and increase their body temperatures. This, to the wasp, feels like being stuck in an oven and at the end of this the wasp dies. In the heat sensitive photograph of such an attack, the temperature of the white areas can reach 1180F (480C). Such a high temperature is bearable for honeybees but lethal to the hornets.