In:
PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science (PLoS), Vol. 15, No. 12 ( 2020-12-9), p. e0242668-
Abstract:
Honey bees (genus Apis) are well known for the impressive suite of nest defenses they have evolved to protect their abundant stockpiles of food and the large colonies they sustain. In Asia, honey bees have evolved under tremendous predatory pressure from social wasps in the genus Vespa , the most formidable of which are the giant hornets that attack colonies in groups, kill adult defenders, and prey on brood. We document for the first time an extraordinary collective defense used by Apis cerana against the giant hornet Vespa soror . In response to attack by V . soror , A . cerana workers foraged for and applied spots of animal feces around their nest entrances. Fecal spotting increased after colonies were exposed either to naturally occurring attacks or to chemicals that scout hornets use to target colonies for mass attack. Spotting continued for days after attacks ceased and occurred in response to V . soror , which frequently landed at and chewed on entrances to breach nests, but not Vespa velutina , a smaller hornet that rarely landed at entrances. Moderate to heavy fecal spotting suppressed attempts by V . soror to penetrate nests by lowering the incidence of multiple-hornet attacks and substantially reducing the likelihood of them approaching and chewing on entrances. We argue that A . cerana forages for animal feces because it has properties that repel this deadly predator from nest entrances, providing the first report of tool use by honey bees and the first evidence that they forage for solids that are not derived from plants. Our study describes a remarkable weapon in the already sophisticated portfolio of defenses that honey bees have evolved in response to the predatory threats they face. It also highlights the strong selective pressure honey bees will encounter if giant hornets, recently detected in western North America, become established.
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
ISSN:
1932-6203
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0242668
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0242668.g001
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0242668.g002
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0242668.g003
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0242668.g004
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0242668.g005
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0242668.g006
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0242668.t001
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0242668.t002
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0242668.s001
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0242668.s002
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0242668.s003
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0242668.s004
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0242668.s005
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0242668.s006
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0242668.s007
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0242668.s008
Language:
English
Publisher:
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Publication Date:
2020
detail.hit.zdb_id:
2267670-3
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