THE BEES THAT PREFFER ROTTING FLESH OVER POLLEN

When we think of bees, we can only imagine those little fuzzy fellows that enjoy flying from one flower to another, taking care of pollination. It is all cozy and romantic, but we forget that there are about 26.000 bee species and not all of them are cute, adorable and vegetarians.  Some are carnivorous but still have their important role in biodiversity.

Oh yes, there are bees known to be called the vulture bees, The Trigona family of stingless bees. They are interested in decomposing carcasses, and they have special gut microbes that enable them to deal with special nutrition. Let’s compare the vegetarian bees and carnivorous bees.  The vegetarian bees have almost the same stomach bacteria while the  bees interested in rotting meat have unique acid-loving bacteria that help them digest meat without being infected or sick from all toxins.

The researchers followed this phenomenon through the last 100 years: “In 1902, entomologist Filippo Silvestri gave the species its scientific name,Trigona Hypogea, after studying pinned specimens.Two other recorded examples of bees feeding on rotting flesh date back to 1758 and 1827. However, the bee’s carnivorous tendencies were first observed in 1982 by entomologist David Roubik while studying bees at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama. Currently, only three vulture bee species are known to exist. Roubik’s observations found that the bees do not have another source of protein, and their legs do not sport as many hairs to collect pollen as vegetarian bees have. When analyzing the stored honey in the carrion bees’ hives, it did not contain pollen grains. Instead, the vulture bees partly digest the meat and then transport it to the nest where it is then regurgitated for other bees, the  New York Times reported in 1982.”

Not many people know that bees origin from wasps but through the evolution, they chose vegetarian way.  All started some 120 million years ago when bees evolved themselves from a group of carnivorous hunting wasps during the mid-Cretaceous period. At the beginning, our lovely bees that have been part of wasp tribe enjoyed the hunting of other insects to feed the brood. Over time, they isolated themselves and moved to the pollen and nectar diet. They flourished without being forced to fight the animal prey.  The adaptation had required also the change of look and all features. The bees had to adjust themselves for hunting pollen and collecting nectar instead of dealing with living insects. So, yes, one brave wasp that has been fed up with running for meat changed the course of evolution and gave us wonderful honeybees.

However, our vulture bees didn’t agree with evolution revision and decided to be loyal to their diet and lifestyle. That’s why they look also different than vegetarian bees. They do not have legs for carrying pollen and their legs are smaller and have baskets for carrying meat back to the hive. Not to forget great sharp tooth and  their skill to smell food from half a mile away. Their stomachs are perfect tools for dealing with decomposing, which can they do with the help of  Lactobacillus and Carnobacterium.  The both are presented in fermented food that we consume.

Now, the main question is, do they make honey we all know ? They do produce honey-like product which is not the one we know or tasted.  Their so-called honey is not golden and sweet but rather darker with exotic taste.  They usually live in hidden parts of Central American rain forests that they cant find so much nectar but they learnt to survive, searching and eating meat, doing the great role as scavengers. They make carrion honey and they do it well.  Oh no, it is not delicious like ours but it is interesting. They also do not have hive rules since they only feed their brood and do not make extra honey. They drop the bee larvae in each storage cell but it would be difficult to ever consider taking this type of honey from them and offering at the market as exotic nutrition.

It is pretty much cool to mention that “meat honey” is used in traditional medicine through the antibacterial attributes but not all people react good on this and shall not be used for massive production. Why? It it not enough and taking this nutrition from bees could hurt them and their survival formula.

I think we have enough for us, and we shall not lurk on other animals and their way of life.  Instead of it, we shall keep scientific perspective and admiration for creatures that help our biodiversity and ecosystem through various actions. One of them is working actively on decomposing and stopping any possible chain of infections. Nature has designed glorious solutions for all problems. The vulture bees are just one of those remarkable creatures that show us that there is always option for life, even there where the death is governing.