Scientists have found that honey bees use social distancing to protect their hive when the colony is threatened by parasites or diseases. The study demonstrates how bees respond to harmful mite infestations by changing their interactions, just as humans did during the COVID-19 pandemic.
It has been found that bees increase the distance between the young bees in the innermost part of the colony and the older bees, which occupy the outermost compartment. “Bees are social animals because they benefit from the division of responsibilities and interactions. So bees seem to have evolved to protect younger families, “said study co-author Dr. Alessandro Chini.
The study’s lead author, Dr. Michelina Pushedu of the University of Sassari, explains that the observed increase in social distance between the two groups of bees within the same colony, threatened by parasites or disease, is a new and somewhat surprising aspect of this. how bees evolved to fight pathogens and parasites.
