A super bee which protects colonies from intruders has been discovered by British researchers.

The insects, dubbed “­soldiers”, are 30 per cent bigger than worker bees with extra long legs and guard the ­entrance to nests.

They have been identified in colonies of a Brazilian stingless bee known as a Jatai by scientists from the ­University of Sussex.

Lead researcher Professor Francis Ratnieks said: “The biggest predator of the Jatai bees is robber bees who ­pillage from other species.

“We staged fights between them and found that the soldier bees could fight. They are an early warning system.”

The findings are published in the National Academy of Sciences journal.