Honeybees can say 'stop'
Honeybees warn each other about possibly troublesome spots, research shows
Not only can honeybees tell hive-mates where food is, the flying creatures can also warn each other about possibly troublesome spots, researchers say.
A study published in the journal Current Biology reveals that bees produce inhibitory messages, as well as the previously recognised excitatory signals.
James Nieh, who led the study and is a bee researcher at the University of California at San Diego, said for over 20 years scientists have been trying to figure out why bees butted their head and gave a short beep signal to other members of their colony.
As the signal was never followed by any food being given, scientists were confused about what it could mean.
In the study, a series of experiments were devised to simulate attacks by predatory crab spiders or by bees from competing colonies. The bees responded by moving their heads and giving a short beep to warn their hive-mates to avoid the area.
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Speaking to Discovery News, Mr Nieh said: "In all causes we found yes, they all significantly increased stop signals."
The study also revealed that bees target their messages directly at other hive-mates which are trying to recruit for the specific locations where the attacks are happening.
Earlier this month, luxury ice-cream brand Haagen-Dazs announced that it was launching a campaign to encourage more people to become beekeepers.
