Summary:
Bumblebees (Bombus terrestris) react to disturbances within the nest by a conspicuous hissing sound. The sound is characterised by a high intensity in the ultrasonic frequency range. It is elicited by vibrations of the nest and by mammalian breath and artificial air currents containing CO2. Domestic mice entering a bumblebee nest elicit these sounds and retreat immediately in response to the bumblebees' signal. It is concluded that the hissing sounds serve as aposematic warning signals aimed at predators entering the nest.
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Received 27 February 1998; revised 15 September 1998; accepted 17 September 1998.
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Kirchner, W., Röschard, J. Hissing in bumblebees: an interspecific defence signal. Insectes soc. 46, 239–243 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1007/s000400050140
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s000400050140