Asian honeybees scream in alarm when giant hornets attack the hive

A frenzied alarm signal produced by a type of Asian honeybee during a giant hornet attack has been identified for the first time. Hornets are Asian honeybees’ most devastating predators and can wipe out entire colonies. Heather Mattila at Wellesley College in Massachusetts and her colleagues recorded sounds inside hives containing Asian honeybees (Apis cerana) as they came under attack either by a type of giant hornet (Vespa soror) related to the infamous “murder“ hornet (Vespa mandarinia), or a smaller hornet species (Vespa velutina). The team also recorded sounds from the hives in the absence of predators. Read more: