Hornets can thrive on a diet of very high ethanol concentrations—up to 80%—without showing impairment, suggesting unique metabolic adaptations that may facilitate alcohol utilization.
Sofia Bouchebti's study demonstrates that hornets are capable of breaking down ethanol more efficiently than honeybees, indicative of their evolutionary ability to utilize alcoholic substances as a food source.
The presence of yeast in hornets' guts aids in the fermentation of sugars into alcohol, further highlighting their unique metabolic processes tied to their ecological roles in pollination.
Research shows that ethanol serves as an energy-rich fuel for hornets, presenting a striking contrast to the detrimental effects observed in humans and many other animals consuming alcohol.
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