Honeybees: A Species Under Threat By Invaders
An example of how trade has spread invasive species around the globe and what impact these have on ecosystems.
Nature is incredible. Every ecosystem works together to form the abundance of life we see today. They’re basically what keep our planet healthy and alive and within these systems, we find plants, animals, weather, landscapes, and more — basically anything that is considered part of nature. Yet, it is the interconnectivity between all these elements that baffle scientists the most.
All life on Earth forms a harmonious, sometimes violent, relationship with its surroundings. For instance, plants depend on insects to spread their seeds and insects depend on plants to feed; hunters depend on prey to feed and preys depend on hunters to control their population. The world, in a way, is in equilibrium, but the relationships between organisms are not the same in every ecosystem, which is why moving species from one place to another creates an unbalance.
Entire populations of species can disappear with the introduction of foreign life, especially if these organisms grow and reproduce quickly. The term used to describe these types of life forms is an invasive species, and many bees are currently under threat by one particular invasive species.
European/Western Bees and the European Hornets
Western or European honey bees are the bees we most know and love. They are the pollinators of most of our gardens and are characterized by their black abdominal stripes and golden brown coloring. They are small and their legs are specialized for the collection of pollen — if you look closely, you will often see yellow pollen stuck to their legs.
As their name suggests, these honey bees are native to Europe, as well as Africa and the Middle East. There are at least 20 different subspecies and most have been spread to over 4 continents by humans. The main reason being pollination for agricultural crops.
In California, more than 50,000 beehives are imported from around the U.S for the production of almonds— that's over 10 billion bees. Billions more are raised inside artificial beehives maintained by beekeepers for this very purpose. But before becoming the workers of this 15-billion-dollar-a-year industry, honeybees prospered in its native lands.
Western honeybees evolved alongside one of their natural nemesis: the European hornet. Although, hornets are known to bully and attack honeybees at feeding sites, as well as sneak into beehives to feast on bee larvae, both species have been observed to get along just fine at moments at a time.
European hornets can be considered a threat to honeybees naturally as hornets are slightly larger and more aggressive than bees. But, because of the commercial trade of these insects by humans, honeybees now face a more mortal enemy.
The Asian Giant Hornet
Asian giant hornets are indigenous to Asia, as the name indicates. These behemoths of insects are nearly 5.1cm (or 2 in) long and their wingspan extends to up to 7.6cm (or 3 in) — something straight out of nightmares. They are characterized by their yellow foreheads and of course, size.
These giant hornets can fly to up to 40.2 mph (or 25 mph) and have stingers as long as 3 millimeters. They can kill humans if they sting repeatedly (other types of Apocrita cannot sting more than once) or if the person has allergic reactions to the stings. They are considered an apex predator as it is capable of taking down any insect or mammal. But they play an important part in the ecosystems of Asia — when they are not busy terrorizing bees, Asian giant hornets regulate the population of plant-eating pests, such as caterpillars.
Asian giant hornets have also been spread around the world and have now become a serious threat to Western honeybees. They are known to wipe out entire beehive populations by picking off bees one at a time at the entrance of their homes and decapitating them with their giant mandibles.
Since Western honeybees did not evolve alongside these giant beasts, they have no defense mechanisms against them. It has been observed that when attacked, honeybees synchronously try to puncture Asian giant hornets with their stingers but fail — the hornet’s thick body armor makes them impervious to their attacks. There is, however, one type of bee that did evolve alongside these giant predators: the Japanese honeybee.
Japanese Honeybees Vs. Japenese Giant Hornets
Japan is home to two types of insects to be reckoned with — the Japanese giant hornet (a subspecies of Asian giant hornets)and the Japanese honeybee. These mutual foes have lived alongside one another for eons, learning to coexist and to defend themselves from one another.
As in other regions of the world, hornets in Japan raid beehives and snatch bees’ larvae and turn them into an eatable paste that is used to feed the hornets’ own offsprings. But in Japan, it is not as easy for hornets to infiltrate into bees’ homes as in other parts of the world. In Japan, honeybees have developed a unique defense mechanism against their mortal enemy.
Japanese honeybees defend themselves by swarming hornets in massive groups, forming a ball with the hornet at the center of it. They will then start to vibrate until increasing their collective temperature to up to 47 ºC (or 116.6 ºF), cooking it alive. Yes, you read that right: cooking it alive. But why doesn’t this affect the bees, as well?
According to scientists, honeybees can tolerate temperatures of up to 47.2 ºC (or 117 ºF) while hornets can only tolerate 46.1 ºC (115 ºF). It is also worth mentioning that scientists also believe that the reason they stop the attack at the precise moment can be due to a genetic ‘kick’ that works as sort of a timer that allows them to perceive the heat and tell them when to stop.
Nature Is A Delicate System
Observing the interaction between all the aforementioned species is important for the reason that it shows us the impact invasive species can have on local populations of other species and how specialized each species is. The impact is so real that just recently, in December 2019, when the Asian giant hornet was spotted for the first time in Washington State, agricultural officials immediately issued an alert of the threat this poses on honeybees.
It is important for members of world international trade to advocate strong control policies on cargo control, since most of the time, invasive species are unintentionally carried in boats and planes. In addition, international trade must maintain regulation on legal wildlife trade, even though some of us oppose the practice entirely.
Unfortunately, not all invasive species can be stopped from reaching various areas. The National Wildlife Federation states that climate change will enable more plant life to spread into new regions. They suggest we get rid of the already present invasive populations of wildlife. With coordination and support from our governments, enabling native wildlife in their respective regions to flourish is possible.
References
- Mackean, D. G. (2004). Biology Teaching and Learning Resources. Retrieved on April 2, 2020. http://www.biology-resources.com/
- Study.com. (N/A). Japanese Giant Hornet: Classification, Facts & Life Cycle. Retrieved on April 2, 2020. https://study.com/academy/lesson/japanese-giant-hornet-classification-facts-life-cycle.html
- Vigdor, Neil. (2019, December 24). Asian Giant Hornet Invasion Threatens Honey Bees in Pacific Northwest. The New York Times. Retrieved on April 2, 2020. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/24/us/asian-giant-hornet.html
- Mosher, Dave. (2012, March 17). “Hot Bee Balls” Cook Enemy Hornets — But How Do Bees Endure the Heat? National Geographic. Retrieved on April 2, 2020. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/24/us/asian-giant-hornet.html
- Hamilton, Kristy. (2014, October 20). These Bees Protect Their Nest From Giant Hornets By Cooking Them Alive. Retrieved on April 2, 2020. https://www.businessinsider.com/japanese-giant-hornet-cooked-by-honeybees-2014-10?r=MX&IR=T
- Honeybee Conservancy. (N/A). Japanese Honey Bee: A Unique Defense Against the Giant Hornet. Retrieved on April 2, 2020. https://thehoneybeeconservancy.org/2010/06/22/japanese-honey-bee/
- Simon, Matt. (2016, February 19). Absurd Creature of the Week: The Huge, Bee-Decapitating Hornet That Can’t Survive Group Hugs. Wired.com. Retrieved on April 2, 2020. https://www.wired.com/2016/02/absurd-creature-of-the-week-the-huge-bee-decapitating-that-hornet-cant-survive-group-hugs/
- Oder, Tom. (2019, May 3). How to identify different types of bees. Mnn.com. Retrieved on April 2, 2020. https://www.mnn.com/your-home/organic-farming-gardening/stories/how-identify-different-types-bees
- The University of Florida. (N/A). Common name: European honey bee
scientific name: Apis mellifera and subspecies Linnaeus (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Apidae). Retrieved on April 2, 2020. http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/MISC/BEES/euro_honey_bee.htm - The National Wildlife Federation. (N/A). Invasive Species. Retrieved on April 2, 2020. https://www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/Threats-to-Wildlife/Invasive-Species
- Lallement, Pierre. Arthus-Bertrand, Yann & Pitiot, Michael. (2015, December 1). Terra. France. CALT Productions and Hope Production.
