Bees ‘scream’ as they are slaughtered by Murder Hornets

Honeybees make a noise similar to “alarm shrieks” in the moments before they are slaughtered by Murder Hornets, according to new research.

A honeybee sucks sweet nectar into its honey stomach to deliver back to the hive for processing. Picture: Marj Webber1

Honeybees “scream” to one another in the moments before they are slaughtered by Murder Hornets, according to new research from Royal Society Open Science, UK.

The sound is produced when the bees vibrate their wings and release a special pheromone from their abdomen, the NY Post reports.

The Royal Society research called the previously unknown noise a “rallying call for collective defence” and said it was similar to “alarm shrieks, fear screams and panic calls of primates, birds and meerkats”.

“It’s alarming to hear,” study co-author Heather Mattila told Gizmodo.

“It’s characterised by rapid bursts of high-pitched sounds that change unpredictably in frequency – they’re quite harsh and noisy.”

The Murder Hornet – officially known as the Asian giant hornet – can grow up to 5 centimetres and is heavily armoured.

They are particularly fond of consuming normal honeybees, ransacking nests and feeding the vanquished to their young.

A sample specimen of a dead Asian Giant Hornet from Japan, also known as a murder hornet. Picture: Karen Ducey/Getty Images North America

A few dozen hornets can destroy a honeybee nest of thousands in just a few hours during a period scientists call a “slaughter phase”.

The hornets came to greater public consciousness in the US after several colonies of them cropped up in Washington state.

They are not known to be present in Australia.

This story originally appeared on the NY Post and was republished with permission.