Bees in the Bird Nest

A new study done by the Laboratory of Behavioral Ecology and Evolution at Seoul National University in South Korea has found that a bee’s buzz could be one factor that helps them invade and steal bird nests. Their buzz had been used previously as a warning to their predators against hunting them, as their sting could be potentially harmful. In this study, however, Piotr Jablonski and his team found that not only does the sound of this buzz warn the birds not to attack the bees; it also prompts them to leave their nests.

First, they wanted to see if the bees would try to take over the bird nests, so they created multiple nest boxes that were soon inhabited by birds. When they checked the boxes, they found that up to twenty-one percent of the boxes had been taken over by bees, while the boxes without bird nests had been left untouched. They then decided to test the effect the bee’s buzz on incubating birds. To do this, they placed a speaker under the layers of moss inside the nest box and played the sound of the buzz. They then waited for the birds to arrive, and observed their reaction with a small camera inside the box. They found that the sound of the bumblebee buzz made them nervous, and they often abandoned the nest. To provide a control, they played songs of common birds, which left them with far less stress.

They concluded “that a warning signal, known to help deter predatory attacks on a potentially harmful prey, may also help the prey to win ecological competition with its predators."

NOS Themes

·         Science is collaborative

·         Science is based on evidence

·         Role of motivation and curiosity

Article: Bees Tell Birds to Buzz Off: How Bumblebees Steal Birds' Nests