| Japanese Honeybees and hornets |
The hornet is the most dangerous enemy to honeybees. But Japanese Honeybees know how to fight with hornets.
Western Honeybeees deveroped and progressed in area where no hornet exists. People imported them into Japan,so without human aids they can't survive. But Western Honeybees run away and live without human aids in America, where there are no hornets in the natural environment.Fight with yellow hornets(Vespa simillima)
When a yellow hornet approaches to the nest of the Japanese Honeybee in the loft, they get out of the nest,make lines and threaten it with the noise of their wings. The yellow hornet kills them one by one,hovoring near the entrance in the air. But there are so many honeybees in the nest,it is not a big damage for them.
Fight with big hornets(Vespa mandarinia)
Fight with a big hornet is different from that with a yellow hornet.A big hornet is not afraid of honeybees. It attacks their nest in group and bites them. In such case,they don't go out and remain in the nest.
If it comes into the nest,they attack and kill it with heat, making a cluster. Long ago I cut and opened a nest of honeybees which I thought, had been attacked by big hornets. I found surprisingly so many dead bodis of big hornets,as well as those of honeybees. TV program about honeybees often show a cluser to kill hornets with heat, but I seldom see a cluster outside of the nest.
Vespa mandarinia vist colony entrance