Jan 31
So most people who have been interested in entomology for a little while know that death's head hawkmoths (Acherontia spp.) steal honey from honeybees (Apis spp.) and that honeybees can have some pretty impressive tactics in dealing with intruders, but today I found out that sometimes the bees catch on and kill the intruding hawkmoth, strip it bald, embalm it and cover it in propolis. What the fuck
(Acherontia atropos and Apis mellifera pictured here: photo source)
It's an instinct in honeybees to cover any foreign material that they're unable to drag out of the hive in propolis to prevent pathogens spreading as it decays, and they also do this to mice
