Hornets from Hell | National Geographic

within natures intricate web of checks
and balances there is a place for
payback
these two are honeybees they made their
hive in a hollow tree they too are
caring for their young but these are
native Japanese honeybees and they’re
not quite as defenseless as their
European cousins they have evolved a
secret weapon against the giant Hornet
one they may need often in this deadly
season
this Hornet is the advance guard of an
attack force the bees could never
withstand
but this time the bees set a trap they
want the Hornet inside
[Music]
and the Hornet obliges
the scouts main task is to mark the hive
with the telltale pheromone so that her
sisters can find it later
but the native honeybees know her game
by swinging their abdomens to afro they
signal their strategy to one another
[Music]
the bees hold off until the last
possible moment
as if a one line they swarm
the Hornet is engulfed by hundreds of
bees
but they don’t sting the intruder
instead as revealed by thermal
photography they all begin to vibrate
gradually raising their collective
temperature to 117 degrees Fahrenheit
Japanese honeybees can tolerate a
temperature of 118 degrees their victims
upper limit is 115
[Music]
the Hornet Scout is slowly roasted alive
and the secret of the honeybees location
dies with her
[Music]
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