Honey Bees Issue A Warning Voice When Attacked By Killer Bees, Experts Say

“I felt a profound reaction when I heard them because it was clear that the bees were agitated,” said Heather Mattila, a professor in Wellesley College’s department of biological sciences, who was part of the team of scientists who identified the warning sounds.

He described the warning signal, known as the “antipredator pipe,” as loud and noisy, of different duration and pitch similar to the screams, screams and panic calls used by mammals such as primates and meerkats when they are scared.

Researchers say the sound appears to be used by the Asian honeybee (Apis cerana) only when giant bees attack the colonies in Vietnam the team studied.

– .