If a small animal—like a mouse or any other creature—accidentally enters a beehive, drawn by the sweet scent of honey, the bees react with extreme aggression. They do not stop attacking until the intruder is killed, stinging it repeatedly.
However, once the animal is dead, a new problem arises: the body may be too large for the bees to carry out of the hive.
This is when the bees display their remarkable instinct and intelligence in the face of danger. Rather than allowing the body to decay—spreading bacteria and foul odors—they engage in a fascinating natural process: embalming the intruder using a substance called propolis.
Propolis is a resin-like material that bees collect from tree sap and other botanical sources. It has powerful properties:
Antibacterial and antifungal
Moisture-resistant
Odor-blocking and accelerates tissue dehydration
The bees coat the dead animal in layers of propolis and wax, effectively sealing it off from the rest of the hive. Over time, the body dries out and becomes nothing more than a preserved skeleton, causing no harm to the internal environment of the hive.
Through this act, bees demonstrate a natural form of sanitation engineering—using biology and instinct to maintain a clean, disease-free home.
No comments:
Post a Comment