Bee colonies fight each other intensely and destructively. These battles are highly organized and driven by the need to acquire or defend resources. This conflict is a stark reminder that the cooperative structure of a bee colony is reserved only for its own members, while outsiders are treated as potential threats to the entire nest’s survival. The need for food security often overrides the natural instinct to avoid conflict, leading to pitched battles between thousands of individuals.
How Bees Recognize Their Own Colony
Colony defense relies on a unique chemical signature that functions like a secret password. This signature is primarily composed of cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs), which are waxy compounds found on the bees’ outer exoskeletons. The specific blend and ratio of these hydrocarbons act as a colony-specific olfactory “fingerprint,” allowing nestmates to identify one another instantly.
This chemical profile develops in individual workers over time, influenced by the unique environment, food sources, and nest material of their hive. Guard bees are stationed at the hive entrance to assess the chemical signature of every incoming bee. If an entering bee’s hydrocarbon profile does not match the colony’s established scent, the guards immediately treat the individual as an intruder and a threat.
The Primary Cause of Conflict: Robbing Behavior
The majority of inter-colony fighting is triggered by “robbing,” a desperate attempt to steal food. This occurs most often during a “dearth,” a period when natural nectar and pollen sources in the environment have dried up. During this time, strong colonies with a high population of forager bees become desperate for sustenance and actively seek out weaker, more vulnerable hives to raid.
A robber bee is typically an older, experienced forager that begins flying erratically near the entrance of a neighboring hive, attempting to sneak past the guards. The smell of exposed honey or sugar syrup can escalate this behavior into a frenzy, attracting numerous robbers to the target hive. Robbing functions as a forced reallocation of resources, where the stronger colony preys on the weaker to ensure its own persistence.
The Mechanics of Inter-Colony Battle
When a robber bee is detected and refuses to leave, a physical confrontation erupts, usually concentrated at the narrow hive entrance, which serves as the primary “front line.” The initial stage of the fight involves grappling, where the bees lock mandibles and wrestle with each other. This close-quarters combat is easily recognizable by the sight of pairs or triads of bees rolling around on the ground.
The conflict quickly escalates to biting and targeted stinging. Bees often aim their attacks at the softer joints or the wings of their opponents, attempting to immobilize them. Worker bees are capable of stinging other insects, but this action is self-sacrificing, as a honey bee’s barbed stinger usually remains lodged in the victim, resulting in the death of the stinging bee. In some cases, a large group of defenders will form a tight cluster, or “ball,” around an intruder, vibrating their flight muscles to generate heat and essentially cook the foreign bee.
Outcomes and Aftermath of Bee Fights
If the defending colony is successful, they repel the attack but often sustain significant losses of guard bees and older workers, who sacrifice themselves to protect the nest’s stores and brood. This depletion of the defensive force can leave the colony vulnerable to subsequent attacks or other environmental stressors.
A successful robbing colony gains a temporary, substantial influx of high-energy resources, which can be the difference between surviving the dearth or starving. If the robbing is severe and the defending colony is overwhelmed, the entire population may be plundered until they die of starvation, or the invading colony may even move in and usurp the entire nest.