The Conversation, Philip Donkersley, "Asian hornets make UK their latest target – here’s why they’re such a threat to European bees"

siiky
2023/12/12
2023/12/12
2023/12/12
post,ecology

https://theconversation.com/asian-hornets-make-uk-their-latest-target-heres-why-theyre-such-a-threat-to-european-bees-212904 (https://theconversation.com)

Just one Asian hornet reputedly can hunt down and eat up to 50 honeybees a day.

up to 50 honeybees (https://www.exmoor-nationalpark.gov.uk)

Several bee species throughout Japan, China and South Korea are significantly more adept at warding off Asian hornet attacks than their European counterparts. The giant honeybee (Apis dorsata) is so large that it uses its body mass to smother a hornet. Meanwhile, her sisters swarm the invader, gradually heating it up and cooking it alive – quite an effective defence.

giant honeybee (https://beeaware.org.au)
swarm the invader (https://www.nhm.ac.uk)

(1) The abdominal section of a European hornet. (2) The abdominal section of an Asian hornet. Philip Donkersley, CC BY-NC-SA (https://images.theconversation.com)