Next time you find yourself grabbing a drink at the insect corral, be sure and steer clear of wherever those damn Africanized honey bees are sitting at, new tests prove that the honey bees are some of the angriest drunks out there in the wilderness (turns out ladybugs weren’t so dangerous after all).
Scientists recently held two experiments testing the effects of an ethanol solution on the aggression of the bees. The first experiment involved harnessed honey bees being fed a 1%, 5%, 10% or 20% solution and then the number of sting extensions, over a 10 minute period, were recorded.
To further support their hypothesis, for experiment numero 2, researchers used free-flying bees who were fed either sucrose or a 20% ethanol solution. The number of stings were then measured on a leather patch hung in front of the hive. Surprisingly enough, here’s how that one ended:
The experiment was terminated after 5 hr. because bees exposed to ethanol became dangerously aggressive.
And so you see? Africanized honey bees are just like you and I: they like to drink, annoy people and then get into fights (kinda’ like my German roommate in film school, only more Africanized). So the next time you find yourself stumbling across a beehive, in the middle of the woods, instead of running for the nearest stream or pond, next time just leave a twelve pack and slowly back away.
p.s. How exactly does one “Africanize” a bee?
Special thanks to Discover for the drunken tip.(picture via)
