Video: Bee headbutt

Bee careful (Image: James Nieh)

HONEYBEES headbutt their hive mates to warn them of danger at a food source.

Bees perform this strange ritual when they encounter aggressive rival bees, for example, or predatory spiders hanging out at favoured foraging spots. When they return to the hive, they headbutt hive mates performing the famous “waggle dance” that directs would-be foragers to rich sources of nectar. By halting their hive mates mid-dance, the scouting bees save them from perilous excursions.

James Nieh of the University of California at San Diego and colleagues interrupted honeybees at a feeding …