🐝 When bees can't eliminate a threat, they render it harmless and neutralize it.
Sometimes a mouse will enter a hive, attracted by the warmth and the smell of honey. The bees will then attack it as a group until they neutralize the intruder. But there's a problem: the body is too heavy to be carried out of the hive.
And that's where one of the most fascinating behaviors in the animal kingdom comes in.
To prevent the carcass from decomposing and contaminating the entire colony, the bees completely cover it with propolis, a natural resin they collect from trees. This substance has powerful antibacterial and antifungal properties.
Little by little, the body dries out, is preserved, and becomes completely harmless to the hive.
This phenomenon, observed by scientists and beekeepers, is considered one of the most impressive examples of collective hygiene in social insects.