[Dion]

Murder hornets cause bees to make "fear screams"

The study, published Tuesday in the journal Royal Society Open Science, found that honey bees will buzz, run, and use loud, unique sounds to alert their fellow hive members when murder hornets attack. The sounds they make serve as a distinctive distress signal so other bees can prepare.

The researchers documented the bees' behavior in Vietnam, where they have been studying the interactions between the two insects for over seven years. They've collected thousands of signals the bees have made, documented in audio and video recordings like the one seen above.

The so-called "antipredator pipe" happens with good reason, as just a few murder hornets have the ability to completely destroy a hive within hours, decapitating and killing the adults and eating the larvae and pupae in the process.

The noise the bees make when the murder hornets arrive are harsh and irregular, researchers found, similar to that of "shrieks, fear screams and panic calls." When bees engage in the noise, other bees will go toward the hive's entrance and try to defend the colony. The noise is so distinct it gave study author Heather Mattila chills when she heard it.

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/us/mu...edgdhp&pc=U531