6.14 Balling Beahviour

Question 1

What is balling behaviour?

Answer 1

This is an aggressive behaviour wher eworkers will crowd something. Workers will try and sting the object or bite it with their mandibles.

Question 2

Give an example of why apis mellifera ball something?

Answer 2

They will ball introduced queens. Gerula et al., (2018) found that the virgin queens were balled after mating flights. Robinson (1984) found that queens introduced to the colony were balled but unaggressive behaviour.

Question 3

Give an example of Apis cerana balling?

Answer 3

They ball hronets as a defence. This raises temperature to 47 degres. As well as heat the carbon dioixde produced helps to starve the hornet of oxygen.