thermoballing

English

Etymology

From thermo- +‎ balling.

Noun

thermoballing (uncountable)

  1. (beekeeping) An incident where honeybees surround a threat and cause it to die through high temperature.
    • 2007 September 17, “Honey Bee Defense Leaves Hornets Breathless”, in Science‎[1], archived from the original on 4 June 2024:
      Certain subspecies, such as Japanese honey bees, guard against hornets by "thermoballing."
    • 2024 June 4 (last accessed), Helen Roy, “Asian hornet guide: how to identify, the difference from a native European hornet, and how to report a sighting”, in BBC Wildlife Magazine‎[2], archived from the original on 14 June 2025:
      Some honeybees have adapted to defend themselves from Asian giant hornets via thermoballing, which is when they surround the hornet and vibrate their muscles.
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