>
> "altruistic suicide,"
>

Another aspect of this is that young bees that become infected with a
parasite appear to rapidly shift to foraging behavior.  This then gets them
out of the hive, where they are more likely to die in the field, especially
if they are sick.  Indeed, nosema parasitized bees have been demonstrated to
exit the hive under colder conditions than non infected bees.

Randy Oliver

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