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submitted 2 days ago by fossilesque@mander.xyz to c/science_memes@mander.xyz

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[-] coalie@piefed.zip 169 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

"meat honey"

The vulture bee is sometimes said to produce a so-called "meat honey", but this is a misnomer resulting from scientific uncertainty, due to historic confusion of multiple species, each with a slightly different method of processing.

In one detailed study of Trigona hypogea in Brazil, the vulture bees mixed sugary plant products with a proteinaceous paste from regurgitated meat, and let it mature to form a sweet substance that was used as food; however, the two resources were initially kept in separate "pots" in the colony, neither being true honey (i.e., not derived from nectar), but they were then mixed together.

In a different study of Trigona necrophaga in Panama, the bees gathered nectar and produced honey, and they also produced a glandular secretion, derived from carrion, partially metabolized, used as a protein source, and kept completely separate from the honey. In neither case were the bees mixing meat-based substances with floral-derived substances.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vulture_bee

[-] snoons@lemmy.ca 111 points 2 days ago

Vulture bees usually enter the carcass through the eyes. They will then root around inside gathering the meat suitable for their needs.

[-] panda_abyss@lemmy.ca 53 points 2 days ago

There needs to be metal band called Vulture Bees, this is too metal.

[-] obre@slrpnk.net 28 points 2 days ago

Not exactly what you meant, but the first thing that came to mind

https://www.metal-archives.com/albums/Earth/The_Bees_Made_Honey_in_the_Lion's_Skull/178274

[-] prettybunnys@piefed.social 30 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

On bed of mottled rocks 
Amid flowers cold as ice 
Pray the weak, the old, the poor

And when the tiny one from Heaven comes 
Crawls inside the chosen skull 
And when the tiny one it summons the others 
To crawl inside the chosen skull

They build their castles in the heads of kings 
Bring life to the empty halls 
They build their castles in the heads of kings 
And honey will flow once more 
Once more

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xf_4uvymwRw

[-] The_Che_Banana@beehaw.org 34 points 2 days ago

[-] YetAnotherNerd@sopuli.xyz 3 points 1 day ago

Amorphis! Their lyricist does a great job adapting the Finnish spoken histories. ZERO idea if this is one of them, though it references the shores of Tuonela. I highly recommend the clean/acoustic version of My Kantele https://youtu.be/UufaC2TI7dg

[-] TheOneAndOnly@lemmy.world 0 points 1 day ago

Well that was certainly... Something.

[-] Akasazh@lemmy.world 42 points 2 days ago

In one detailed study of Trigona hypogea in Brazil, the vulture bees mixed sugary plant products with a proteinaceous paste from regurgitated meat, and let it mature to form a sweet substance that was used as food; however, the two resources were initially kept in separate "pots" in the colony, neither being true honey (i.e., not derived from nectar), but they were then mixed together.

So it's not incorporated in the honey. They have a separate protein stache.

[-] SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world 52 points 2 days ago

A protein stache would be part of a meat beard.

[-] Akasazh@lemmy.world 16 points 2 days ago

I'll keep the typo up because of this <3

[-] ToffeeIsForClosers@piefed.ca 2 points 2 days ago

And both of these are great metal band names as well.

[-] dejected_warp_core@lemmy.world 13 points 2 days ago

Fascinating. It's worth mentioning that (normal) honey can be used to preserve meat, thanks to its antimicrobial and hydrophilic properties. I guess that's what's going on here too: they use a kind of nectar honey to keep the meat component from going off. That said, this kind of food preservation isn't immune to botulism so do be careful if you try this.

Now I'm wondering when/how this behavior evolved. Did these guys come first, and honeybees figured out how to eat pollen as a protein source as an evolutionary step, the other way around, or separately at the same time from some parent species?