Honey bees (Apis cerana) signal attack by giant hornets (Vespa soror) using novel acoustic signals

On-Demand

Presenting Author(s)

Hannah Kernen

Purdue University
Lafayette, Indiana

Co-Author(s)

HM

Heather R. Mattila

Wellesley College
Wellesley, Massachusetts
GO

Gard Otis

School of Environmental Sciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada
LN

Lien Nguyen

Insect Ecology Department, Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources, Vietnamese Academy of Science and Technology, 18 Hoang Quoc Viet Road, Nghia Do, Cau Giay, Hanoi, Vietnam
Cau Giay, Ha Noi, Vietnam
HD

Hanh Duc Pham

Bee Research Centre, National Institute of Animal Sciences, Thuy Phuong, Tu Liem North, Hanoi, Vietnam
Tu Liem North, Ha Noi, Vietnam
OK

Olivia Knight

School of Environmental Sciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada
Guelph, Ontario, Canada
EM

Erica Maul

Department of Biological Sciences, Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA, 02481, USA
Wellesley, Massachusetts
MM

McKenna Montminy

Department of Biological Sciences, Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA, 02481, USA
Wellesley, Massachusetts
PB

Patty Benitez-Lomi

Department of Biological Sciences, Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA, 02481, USA
Wellesley, Massachusetts
Ngoc T. Phan (she/her/hers)

University of Arkansas
Fayetteville, Arkansas

Apis cerana is consistently threatened by hornet predators throughout its wide range in eastern Asia. One of the most destructive of these predators is Vespa soror, a mass-attacking giant hornet that is found in southeast Asia. A. cerana colonies produce vibrational signals and hisses in response to predator attacks, which likely help to organize defense of their nests. We recorded soundscapes from the inside of A. cerana colonies in Vietnam during natural and simulated attacks by either V. soror or Vespa velutina (a smaller, solitary-hunting hornet) to determine how the nature of hornet attack influenced signal production. We characterized over 29,000 signals produced by colonies under attack and no-attack scenarios and used video recordings to integrate signal production with the behavioral responses of defending bees. Rate of signaling, including hissing and vibrational signals, was highest during natural V. soror attacks, intermediate for attacks simulated with V. soror colony-marking pheromones, and lowest during V. velutina attacks and no-attack controls. Fundamental frequencies of vibratory signals increased during any type of hornet attack compared to controls, while signal duration decreased. Additionally, we tracked the production of different types of vibrational signals during various stages of attack. We report for the first time novel signals that are produced at high rates when V. soror is outside of A. cerana nests. Our dataset contains a robust set of diverse signals that provides insight into predator-prey interactions between A. cerana and V. soror, the most deadly hornet predator that honey bees face throughout southeast Asia.