AGGRESSION IN OUR COLONIES Bees can be pretty nasty to their own kind - cases in point

摘要

As new beekeepers we learned that bee colonies have a section of their population called guard bees that are responsible for protecting the colony from invading "foreign" bees, other insects, and other animals. After the invasion of African-stock beesinto the Americas, we have been very careful to describe bee-stinging events as defensive behavior by a colony as it attempts to protect itself from invasion. In Africa, these behaviors are attributed to predation by honey badgers and humans. This lastAugust I had several experiences that helped put some of the aggressive behaviors of bees into focus. Fortunately, I had my camera in hand to record some of the biology and behavior at work. Most interesting to me was the seemingly aggressive attacks several honey bees were making on bumble bee workers as they foraged on bull thistle flowers on my Mother's farm in Southwestern Michigan. I do not recall ever seeing honey bee workers attack other bees on flowers (I have seen one honey bee forager run offanother honey bee many times, but never physically attack it!). More on this at the end of the article.