Rising temperatures and high carbon dioxide emissions are the
means through which humans are inadvertently causing the decline
of several species. But one animal actively uses both heat and
carbon dioxide as murderous weapons – the unassuming honeybee.
With their stings and numbers, bees already seem to be well-
defended but they are completely outgunned by giant hornets
(right). These two-inch long monsters are three times longer
than several times heavier than tiny honeybees and raiding
parties can decimate entire hives. European bees mount little in
the way of an effective defence, but Japanese bees aren’t so
helpless. When their hives are invaded, they launch a mass
counterattack. Swarms of workers dogpile the hornet, pinning it
down while vibrating their wing muscles. At the centre of this
“heatball”, the frenetic buzzing heats up the hornet to a
roasting 45 degrees Celsius. Scientists have long thought that
this manoeuvre bakes the hornet alive, for the bees that
surround it are more resistant to high te