Vulture bee
| Vulture bee | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Apidae |
| Genus: | Trigona |
| Subgenus: | Trigona (Trigona) |
| Species | |
|
three species; see text | |
Vulture bees, also known as carrion bees, are a small group of three closely related South American stingless bee species in the genus Trigona which feed on rotting meat. Vulture bees produce a honey-like substance which is not derived from nectar, but rather from protein-rich secretions of the bees' hypopharyngeal glands. These secretions are likely derived from the bees' diet, carrion eaten outside the nest.[1] This unusual behavior was only discovered in 1982, nearly two centuries after the bees were first classified.[2]
Taxonomy[]
The three species in this group are:
- (Fabricius, 1793)
- Camargo & Roubik, 1991
- Trigona hypogea Silvestri, 1902
Ecology and behavior[]
Vulture bees, much like maggots, usually enter the carcass through the eyes. They will then root around inside gathering the meat suitable for their needs. The vulture bee salivates on the rotting flesh and then consumes it, storing the flesh in its crop. When it returns to the hive, this meat is regurgitated and processed by a worker bee, which then re-secretes the resulting proteins as a decay-resistant edible glucose product resembling honey.[1][3] These protein-rich secretions are then placed into pot-like containers within the hive until it is time to feed the immature bees. The secretions replace the role of pollen in the bees' diet, as vulture bees lack adaptations for carrying pollen and pollen stores are absent from their nests, though they do also store honey. Larvae are fed on the carrion-based substance, while the adult bees consume the honey.[2]
The flavor of this honey-resembling substance is described as intense, smokey, and salty, or uniquely sweet.[4]
References[]
- ^ a b Laura L. Figueroa, Jessica J. Maccaro, Erin Krichilsky, Douglas Yanega, Quinn S. McFrederick: Why Did the Bee Eat the Chicken? Symbiont Gain, Loss, and Retention in the Vulture Bee Microbiome. In: ASM mBio, vol. 12, no. 6, e02317-12, 23 November 2021, doi:0.1128/mBio.02317-21
- ^ a b Roubik, D.W. (1982). "Obligate Necrophagy in a Social Bee". Science 217 (4564): 1059–60.
- ^ Meat-eating bees have something in common with vultures
- ^ "Vulture Bee: The Meat-Eating Bees | Misfit Animals". Retrieved 2021-12-16.
Further reading[]
- Camargo, J.M.F. & Roubik, D.W. (1991). "Systematics and bionomics of the apoid obligate necrophages: the Trigona hypogea group". Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 44 (1): 13–39.
- Meat-Eating “Vulture Bees” Sport Acidic Guts and an Extra Tooth for Biting Flesh. On: SciTechDaily, 25 November 2021.
- Trigona
- Apinae stubs