Effective against queenless or pavement ants, repels them more than half the time.
Japanese honeybees use wing-slapping to defend their hives from ants.
Smaller ant species are sent sailing through the air when hit by a wing-slap.
Wing-slapping is an efficient low-energy defense tactic used by guard bees.
In a fascinating discovery, Japanese honeybees have been observed using their wings to slap ants away from their hives, in a new defensive behavior known as wing-slapping. This low-energy defense tactic is particularly effective against queenless or pavement ants, and has been found to repel them more than half the time. Smaller ant species are sent sailing through the air when hit by a wing-slap, making this an efficient way for honeybees to protect their hives from intruders. This behavior requires less energy than other defensive behaviors like fan-blowing or shimmering, and is used by guard bees to maintain the safety of their hive.
Japanese honeybees have a new defensive behavior called wing-slapping, where they use their wings to hit intruding ants.
Honeybees are born fighters and have evolved various defensive behaviors to protect their hives from predators and parasites.
Wing-slapping is a common defensive behavior of guard bees against intruding queenless or pavement ants, successfully repelling them more than half the time.
This low-lift defense method requires less energy than other defensive behaviors like fan-blowing or shimmering.
