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But the dung they describe is simply an additional coating of the nest.

• Arnavion 6y ago
  Building the nest requires sealing it. They don't coat it with dung unless they smell wasps nearby.
  • i_cannot_hack 6y ago
    I think there's a lot of counterargument to this, but I'll stick to the best one: propolis is used as more than just a a sealant for the hive. "However, if a small lizard or mouse, for example, finds its way into the hive and dies there, bees may be unable to carry it out through the hive entrance. In that case, they would attempt instead to seal the carcass in propolis, essentially mummifying it and making it odorless and harmless." Example picture: https://www.researchgate.net/figure/A-mouse-skull-that-was-encased-in-propolis-found-within-a-honey-bee-colony-in-an-apiary_fig2_46421115 https://www.researchgate.net/figure/A-mouse-skull-that-was-e...
    • Arnavion 6y ago
      Yes, that does sound to me like it would count as tool-use even by the paper's argument.
    • hn_throwaway_99 6y ago
      Wow, that was really cool. I didn't know about propolis, yet again I'm more amazed by honeybees.