I too have heard them squeal - but I am unsure if it is the same sound that purportedly freezes the bees to allow the moth her feeding. I have caught two live specimens – one on the outside of a hive body, and the other entrapped in anti-hornet netting – and both squealed for me.
My cerana researcher friend has camped out at night with his camera to capture the invasion – which is only at night, but suspected that the entrance was protected by mimicking queen pheromone, if I recall correctly. I’ll see him today and will ask again. He might try sound recording too.
I have removed many from within hives that were dismembered and depilated (and thus quite colorful) as the bees had discovered them, killed them, and were trying to remove them from the hive piece by piece. So I know that sound alone will not, or even with the assistance of pheromones too - guarantee their safety in the midst's of honeybees.
Paul, I would like to hear more of this. What your researcher friend has found/sound recorded, anything. I have always had a deep fascination with the insect world (my young Nieces, Nephews, Grandsons can attest to this), I should be called Auntie/Grandma buggy girl, smiling. I should have studied entomology. I do study bugs, but only on the internet, I love to read stuff that interests me, smiling. Please elaborate when you have time about stuff that you know about this moth, would love to hear more (your experiences, etc.).
Johnnybigfish. What a beautiful picture. Many years ago, probably like about 10, I had massive amounts of beautiful dark red and dark pink shades of Sweet William growing in my gardens. One day I saw this huge moth type insect floating around, it resembled a hummingbird very much, and was of about the same size of the larger species of hummingbird -- that is why it caught my eye. This was during the daytime and I followed it with my videocamera in hand. Got some very lovely video of this magnificent critter. (The recording is on 8mm tape, and I really do need to get all those transposed over to DVD, one fine day, when I have some spare time, and yes, I say to myself:
when will that ever be? (Maybe when we move and I have nothing to do, smiling). This moth never even bothered with trying to get away from me, I don't think it saw me. It was too involved in sticking its enormously long proboscis into the nectaries of the flowers. It really seemed to like the Sweet Williams. Thanks for that picture, have that most wonderfully beautiful and awesome day, to live with the best of great health. Cindi