TIL: Japanese Honeybees fun fact

Hello Steemians!

Today I learned a quite fun fact about Japanese honeybees and how they defend against hornets.

Japanese honeybees use heat to defeat hornets!

They wait for the hornet to enter their hive, then swarm upon it.

They start vibrating producing heat which at it's peak has a temperature of 117 degrees Fahrenheit.

The bee's can tolerate a temperature of 118 degrees Fahrenheit, whilst the hornets can tolerate up to 115Degrees.

This results in the hornet being roasted alive!

I would imagine that some bee's do die in the process, but most survive.
I got really fascinated by the small difference in temperature which makes the live or death difference here, a truly amazing example of how nature is a complex system full of surprises.

all images are taken form google

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