MIMICKING A HONEYBEE QUEEN - VESPA-AFFINIS-INDOSINENSIS PEREZ 1910 HUNTS DRONES OF APIS-CERANA F 1793

Hornets (Vespa affinis) flying in a drone congregation area attracted drones of Apis cerana. The drones followed the horner and were 'manoeu vred' towards a leaf or a tree. The horner then rushed at one of the d rones. Many attempts by the horner to catch a drone were unsuccessful and all drones fled. After failing, the hornet returned to centre of t he drone congregation area and repeated the behaviour. Only after succ essfully seizing of a drone did the horner leave the drone congregatio n area carrying its prey. In a two-choice test in the centre of the dr one congregation area, free-flying A. cerana drones preferred a hornet model to a live A. cerana queen. V. affinis apparently 'exploits' the intraspecific communication between queen and drones of A. cerana. Hu nting of drones in the drone congregation area by V. affinis may be an example of predatory mimicry.