When you want to collect wild Japanese honeybees in spring, all you need is an orchid in bloom, an empty beehive, and some patience. This particular orchid is a Cymbidium floribundum, well-known for its ability to attract Japanese honeybees and their queen. The secret is in the flower’s chemical mix.
In this clip from Natural World: Buddha, Bees, and The Giant Hornet Queen, Japanese beekeeper Yamaguchi places an Asian giant hornet-scented orchid plant next to an empty hive, a gift that he hopes they will accept. Will the smell of the bees’ mortal enemy lure them to the new nest?
Watch more from TKSST’s bee video collection, including:
• How to harvest honey with Maddie Moate
• How Do Bees Make Honey?
• What’s the Waggle Dance? And Why Do Honeybees Do It?
• Photographing the Real Life of Bees
• A female blue orchard bee builds her ‘bee-jeweled’ nest
Bonus: More BBC videos.
Curated, kid-friendly, independently-published. Support this mission by becoming a sustaining member today.