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]:

     Certain subspecies, such as Japanese honey bees, guard against hornets by "thermoballing."

   • (Can we date this quote?), 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]:

     Some honeybees have adapted to defend themselves from Asian giant hornets via thermoballing, which is when they surround the hornet and vibrate their muscles.