It is the embodiment of genuine horror and nightmare. Due to its size and very aggressive nature, it turned into a real monster, terrorizing residents. Perhaps someone will think that this is an exaggeration. Not at all. And the material presented below is able to prove the veracity of this statement.

Japanese hornet: description of the species

This representative of insects is a very close relative. However, unlike its brothers and sisters, the Japanese hornet lives only on the territory of these islands. Only a few times these insects were found outside their native lands, and it is impossible to say for sure whether they were the same species.

As for appearance, the Japanese hornet primarily stands out for its large size. Thus, the length of its body varies between 4-5 cm, and the wingspan can reach 6-7 cm. Because of such proportions, in Japan this insect was nicknamed the “sparrow bee”. True, unlike the peaceful bird, our striped friend does not please people with his singing.

Otherwise, the Japanese hornet is very similar to its relatives. The entire body of the insect is divided into alternating yellow and black segments. Moreover, unlike bees, the hornet's head is always orange. It is on it that the most formidable weapon of the “sparrow bee” is located - its jaws. Thanks to them, the Japanese hornet can easily bite a small insect, and seriously injure a larger one.

Life cycle of formidable insects

With the arrival of the first warmth of spring, the life of our hero begins. After all, it is during this period of the year that the queens that survived the winter get out of their hiding places and go in search of a new home. In this case, it can become either an empty hollow in a tree or a small hole in a sandy shore.

Having found shelter, the female lays the first batch of larvae. Initially, the role of breadwinner rests only with the queen, but as soon as the little ones grow up a little, all the worries about managing the house pass to them. Now the only task of the female will be procreation, and everything else should not concern her.

At the end of summer, the queen gives birth to the last brood of hornets. Among them are those males and females who will continue the mother’s lineage after the death of her hive. However, only ladies will be able to survive until next spring. Therefore, mating takes place at the beginning of autumn, after which the males die, and the females look for a warm shelter for the winter.

Japanese poisonous hornet

Let's start with the fact that there is indeed a very dangerous toxin in the body of this insect. He is the one who represents greatest danger for others. Not even a large number of This poison, once under the skin, causes a terrible burning sensation and swelling. In this case, the toxin can be fatal to both animals and people.

You should understand a very obvious fact: since this is a giant hornet, there is also a lot of poison in it. Consequently, having stung a person, it can inject a horse dose of a deadly substance into his blood, which will inevitably cause an allergic reaction. And in some cases, such “bites” can even lead to anaphylactic shock or even death.

Aggressive disposition

Another negative feature is the aggressiveness of the hornet. In search of food, these creatures without a shadow of a doubt attack other insects, and sometimes even animals. Moreover, sensing danger, they immediately attack their offender for an hour. At the same time, they are not at all embarrassed by the fact that their enemy can surpass them both in size and in numbers.

It is because of its aggressive nature that the Japanese hornet has become a threat to these islands. Everyone tries to avoid him. After all, who knows what mood the “sparrow bee” is in today - will she want to “greet” her guests?

The Asian hornet is one of the largest insects that can cause real panic in humans. Indeed, due to its size, it is always noticeable and at the same time in flight it more closely resembles a small bird, which is why in some countries it is called the sparrow bee. In addition, this creature is also very harmful - a flock of such hornets can cause serious damage to a beekeeping farm, and their bites are very dangerous for humans.

Description

In Latin, the name of this hornet sounds like vespa mandarinia. These insects are noticeably larger than other hornets and the body length of representatives of most subspecies is 5 cm. Moreover, the wingspan of such individuals sometimes reaches 7.5 cm.

On a note! The length of the body of an adult hornet from the head to the extreme point of the abdomen is commensurate with the little finger of an adult, and if it spreads its wings, they will probably cover most of the palm!

The Asian giant hornet belongs to the family of True wasps and has a characteristic appearance for its representatives: the body is colored yellow, several transverse black stripes run along it, the base of the abdomen is brown, the head is yellow, the cephalothorax is almost black. There are three pairs of legs.

The largest hornet in the world has five eyes: one pair is the main one (these eyes are the largest) and three more eyes are located between them.

There are several subspecies of the Asian hornet in the world, each of which has its own habitat: Korea, Central and East Asia, India, Nepal, Russia (Primorsky Territory). And among others, the most famous in scientific circles is the inhabitant of the Japanese islands - Vespa mandarinia japonica. The Japanese hornet has an appearance similar to its Asian “relatives”: a large body, the length of which is about 4 cm, and an impressive wingspan of 6 cm. The range of this subspecies is limited to the above-mentioned territory, where it is found mainly in forest areas.

Nature gave the Asian hornet such dimensions for a reason. Its ability to function normally depends largely on them, and this is primarily due to the distribution area of ​​the insect. As you know, it is very hot in Asia, and therefore it is much easier for large creatures to survive - with a large body area, they are able to give off a sufficient amount of heat to environment. Small insects quickly die from overheating.

Biology

Asian giant hornets live in the same way as other “relatives” - in families or colonies. These insects make their nests in forests, often in close proximity to ponds and other sources of water. The construction of such a nest is started by the female - she lays the laid eggs in the first comb and raises the offspring that emerge from them on her own. During this period, she cares for the larvae, protects them and feeds them. After a few weeks, the larvae turn into young hornets, which take over all the responsibilities: they get food, cut up the bodies of caught victims, feed newly hatched larvae and protect the nest from enemies. The next grown hornets are already able to mate and reproduce.

On a note! The number of one colony can reach about 300 individuals, but even after this the female continues to lay eggs - all her responsibilities come down to this process!

Over time, the colony of Asian hornets is replenished with new males and females, and when their numbers become too high, they leave the overcrowded nest and mate outside it. Subsequently, fertilized females look for suitable places for the construction of nests and become the founders of new colonies, and the males die.

Nest

To build nests, females use chewed pieces of young bark, which they fasten together using salivary secretions. At first, the nest has a very modest size - it is several cells with eggs laid in them. As the family increases in size, the nest also grows, gradually turning into a rather large gray cocoon, the height of which can reach 0.8 m and the width - 0.5 m.

The expansion of the nest and the development of hornets in it occurs throughout the warm season. With the arrival of the rainy season or with the onset of winter, all its inhabitants die, and the female stops laying eggs. Thus, the nest exists for no more than one year.

Nutrition

The basis of the diet of vespa mandarinia is food of animal origin - various arthropods. Adults, unlike larvae, can also eat berries, fruits and fish carcasses washed ashore.

Japanese giant hornets very often raid the nests of their small “relatives”: more often bees, less often wasps and hornets of other species with more modest body sizes. At the same time, the hunters act with particular cruelty, destroying the entire nest and killing absolutely all its inhabitants. The prey includes bee larvae and pupae, as well as sweet honey. The hornets take all the trophies to their nest, where they later use them for their own food and survival.

On a note! A small flock of Asian hornets (30-40 individuals) is capable of destroying a bee colony of about 20-30 thousand individuals in just a couple of hours!

It is noteworthy that the huge Asian hornet, having a very poisonous sting, practically does not use it for hunting. It kills prey with the help of powerful jaws located in the front of the head - with them the hornet easily splits the chitinous covers of its victims. Thus, bees, modest in size, turn out to be very easy prey for these giants, and are unable to withstand several hornets.

Apiary owners usually combat these winged pests using radical measures. They find a nest and burn it, drown it, or destroy its inhabitants with insecticides. The main thing in this matter is to be able to get as close to the enemy’s lair as possible and remain unnoticed. But sometimes bees find a way to protect themselves, but they succeed only when only one hornet, the scout, penetrates the hive. The bees surround the stranger and very quickly create a cocoon around him. As a result, the hornet dies from high temperature. If the scout remains unnoticed, then he marks the hive with his secret and after a while arrives with reinforcements.

Danger to humans

Asian hornets are very dangerous. Their main weapon against humans is a long sting, reaching 6 mm in length, with which insects inject nerve poison into the body of the offender.

On a note! The bite of the Asian hornet is very painful, which is why this insect received another nickname - “tiger bee”! Entomologist Masato Ono, who suffered such a bite, described his sensations as follows: “It felt like a hot nail had been pierced into my leg!”

The Asian giant hornet is considered one of the most dangerous insects in the world.

The most dangerous poison of the Asian hornet is for people with allergies to insect stings, in particular wasps and bees. In this case, rapid development of anaphylactic shock is possible, which will require urgent hospitalization. However, even in the absence of an allergic reaction, such a sting can cause very significant discomfort and provoke a deterioration in well-being. The reason for this is the composition of the poison, which includes mandorotoxin, a neurotoxin that is an extremely dangerous substance, as well as acetylcholine, which attracts other hornets.

The toxic substances contained in the venom of the Asian hornet act primarily on nervous system and may contribute to the development of symptoms such as:

• intense throbbing pain at the site of the bite;
• rapid extensive tissue inflammation;
• redness in the affected area;
• tissue hardening;
• strong headache;
• dizziness;
• dyspnea;
• cardiopalmus;
• swollen lymph nodes;
• increase in body temperature.

If medical care is not provided in a timely manner, the tissues at the site of the bite begin to deteriorate, which, in turn, can cause damage to internal organs located near the affected area, as well as bleeding and hemorrhage.

Important! It is strictly forbidden to comb the stung area or treat it yourself with any alcohol-containing solutions!

However, it is worth noting that the Asian giant hornet never attacks without a reason. He can show aggression towards a person only in the event of a clear threat to him or the nest that he is called upon to protect. In such situations, the insect will definitely attack and may inflict several bites at once.

On a note! According to statistics, about 40 people die every year from Asian hornet bites. Sometimes this happens through negligence, when people step on a nest in the forest, sometimes when beekeepers protect bee hives, when they try to destroy the enemy’s lair without personal protective equipment!

Actions when bitten

The huge and very dangerous Asian hornet can be found both in Russia and abroad - it lives in large quantities in Asian countries. And if such an unpleasant meeting happened, then the main rule is not to make any sudden movements. Try not to wave your arms and leave the habitat of this insect as calmly as possible.

On a note! Remember, the Asian hornet will not attack without a special reason, and usually the person himself is to blame for its aggression: the curious either wants to take a closer look at the amazing insect, or tries to photograph its nest hidden in the foliage as clearly as possible, and some even try to take the hornet into hands, forgetting that he has a powerful “weapon”!

And if unpleasant contact could not be avoided, and the Asian hornet bit you or the person next to you, then in this case you need to do the following:

• immediately apply something very cold to the affected area and hold for several seconds;
• then it is advisable to make a compress of wet sugar - thanks to this technique you can slow down the spread of toxins through the tissues;
• take an antihistamine, and it is better to give an injection - antihistamines are necessary, especially if you are not sure of the absence of an allergy;
• The person should be laid on his back and a pillow or cushion of folded clothing should be placed under his head - the head should be elevated.

If the victim’s health begins to rapidly deteriorate, then it is necessary to immediately seek medical help.

Subspecies of the Asian giant hornet (Vespa mandarinia). This is a large insect (more than four centimeters in length, with a wingspan of more than six centimeters), although it is still slightly smaller than the Asian giant hornet. It has a huge yellow head with large eyes, a dark brown belly with brown-yellow stripes. Also, the Japanese giant hornet has three small extra eyes along with two large eyes. The subspecies is endemic and distributed only on the Japanese islands, where they can be found on trees in forested areas of the country.

The Japanese giant hornet is a large social arthropod, reaching more than 4 cm in length with a wingspan of more than 6 cm. Therefore, in Japan this animal is called “Suzumebachi” (Japanese: スズメバチ（雀蜂、胡蜂） “Sparrow-bee”).

Lifestyle of the Japanese Hornet

The female (“queen”, uterus) establishes a nest in which she lays eggs. The eggs hatch into larvae that need to be fed. Then the larvae pupate, then adult workers emerge from the pupa. This is how a colony appears, which is fed by workers (foragers).

Japanese hornets feed on a variety of foods - mainly insects, including pests Agriculture. Workers cut up the body of their victims in order to extract valuable substances and meat from the chitinous cover. The workers feed this food to the larvae.

Bee attack

The Japanese huge hornet also attacks social insects - other hornets, bees. This hornet greatly harms Japanese beekeeping, as it attacks the hives of the European honey bee, which Japanese beekeepers breed in apiaries, since European bees collect more honey than Japanese bees.

When a scout hornet finds a beehive, it leaves marks near it. Then the “scout” informs the other hornets about the find, and within a short time a large number of hornets flock to the hive and attack the bees.

Within three hours, Japanese hornets can destroy an entire hive - 30 thousand bees. They then dismember the bee brood, which they feed to their larvae. Hornets also eat honey from bees' honeycombs.

The Japanese honey bee uses to protect itself from hornets. special tactics: When a scout hornet approaches their hive, a ball of about 500 bees immediately forms around the hornet. They surround the hornet in a huge ball, inside which the temperature can rise to 47 °C. Since bees are able to maintain and withstand temperatures up to 50 °C, the hornet dies.

Attack on a person by a Japanese hornet

In case of danger, hornets also attack people, for example peasants who happen to be near the nest. The attack of hornets is very dangerous: their sting is about 6.25 mm long. When it bites, it releases a highly toxic nerve venom that destroys the victim's tissue. Hornet stings are very painful, cause anaphylactic shock and require hospitalization. Mass bites are especially dangerous.

One of the largest representatives of the Hymenoptera is the Asian hornet. The dimensions reach 5 cm in length, and the wingspan fits in the palm of an adult. human health, up to fatal outcome. Habitat area limited by territory Far East. It attacks mainly bees, destroying them. Therefore, a person, protecting his apiary plantations from a pest, becomes a target for a giant pest.

Its enormous size allows the giant hornet to adapt to the hot temperatures of the Asian climate.

The classification is varied:

Being gigantic, vespa mandarinia is considered the most dangerous among all representatives of the genus. A large amount of toxins in the poison causes immediate reactions in the body.

Bite symptoms

The Asian hornet will sting a person in cases where he is in danger. While staunchly defending a home or when found in an apiary while killing bees as food, the insect will defend itself with a sting that it will pierce into the skin of a person. There will be several such attacks. The sting is of impressive size - up to 6 mm. And near the end of the body there is a sac with poison. During one moment of insertion of the sting, a large amount of toxins are injected under the skin, which have a nerve-paralytic effect.

The moment of the bite is manifested by the following symptoms:

• acute pain due to the mandorotoxin contained in the poison;
• tissue swelling with extensive hemorrhages.

An extensive red-brown, purple or blue hematoma appears at the site of the bite. The shade depends on the concentration of the dose received, which destroys the walls of blood vessels and tissues.

Further symptoms characteristic of an allergic reaction develop: itching, burning, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, headache, weakness, fever, decreased blood pressure, rapid heartbeat.

The content of histamine, an immediate neurotransmitter in allergic reactions, promotes rapid tissue swelling and the spread of toxins through the bloodstream. In addition, the human body, in response to allergens, produces its own histamine, which leads to an even greater severity of the process. The development of tissue necrosis and suppuration suggests that exposure to toxins has a detrimental effect on the skin and internal organs, spreading throughout the body.

In people who are resistant to allergies, bronchospasm develops and the lymph nodes become enlarged. Quincke's edema and anaphylaxis may develop, which are manifested by blueness of the nasolabial triangle, paralysis and paresis of the limbs, and difficulty breathing.

Urgent, within a few minutes, medical attention and hospitalization to the nearest medical facility is necessary.

What to do if you are bitten

The development of symptoms after a bite does not depend on what type of insect stung a person - a black hornet or a Japanese giant hornet, or other representatives. The body's response depends on the body's resistance and susceptibility to toxins. Therefore, there are three stages of manifestation of the clinical picture: mild, moderate and severe. Depending on this, first aid is provided.

Take an antihistamine and apply cold to slow down the spread of toxins through the bloodstream. Monitor your condition if no additional symptoms appear. The reaction to toxins also appears after 24 hours.

Danger to humans

The Japanese huge hornet often becomes a destroyer of bee apiaries, causing irreparable harm. 30 adult individuals will destroy the entire brood of a bee family, which consists of about 30 thousand bees. If a person is nearby, then an attack cannot be avoided. The hornet's sting can penetrate the skin several times.

For a person, the danger of a sting is causing harm to the bite site and the entire body as a whole, causing severe consequences and complications, including death.

The giant hornet lives only in subtropical climates, so it is not dangerous to Russians.

The Japanese giant hornet has three eyes at the top of its head
Giant hornets build multi-tiered nests, the base of which looks like gray paper.
The largest is the Asian Vespa mandarinia. In Japan it is called "sparrow bee" or "tiger bee".

During wars, Asians bombarded the enemy with hornet nests, thereby causing panic in their ranks.
Compared to the European, large individuals of the Asian representative are less aggressive.

Where do they live?

The Asian giant hornet lives on the territory of the Japanese islands, India, Korea, Nepal, in the mountains of Sri Lanka and Taiwan. Found in the Primorsky Territory of Russia.

Japanese hornets are found only on the islands of Japan; you will rarely see them on Sakhalin.
The primary habitat of hornets is the subtropics of Asia and America, southern Europe.

What do they eat?

Giant hornets are quite unpretentious eaters. They are big lovers of sweets - they eat soft fruits, berries, honey, nectar.

They also destroy other insects: locusts, grasshoppers, flies, butterflies, crickets, bees and other representatives, as well as eggs from which new insects will hatch. They kill victims with the help of powerful jaws in front of the head, carefully treat them with saliva, chew them and take them to their larvae to be devoured. Adults do not feed on insects. The larva feeds on processed insects, meat and fish from the trash heap, and dead insects. All of the above food is delivered to her by an adult hornet.

Methods for destroying hornet nests

The Japanese giant hornet cannot tolerate the aromas of sulfur and ammonia. Therefore, throwing a rag soaked in ammonia over the nest, drive out the inhabitants. You can use sulfur to smoke out giant hosts.

Most in a simple way will be a quick dip of the nest in a container of water. The nest will become wet and not a single individual will leave it.
You can remove the hive using fire; just bring a match to the nest and it will instantly flare up.
Traps made from bottles of sugar or sweet water are relevant.

The secret weapon of Japanese bees

Bees against hornets have developed a unique method of dealing with uninvited guests. Their defense tactics are interesting - approximately 500 bees, having noticed the enemy, stick around him and create high temperatures around him; he can withstand no more than 47 ° C, while bees can withstand up to 50 ° C. Such temperature regime is supported by the enhanced operation of the wings. The lack of oxygen and hot air do their job - the giant insect dies. This way, the bees kill the hornet before it releases fear pheromones.

Bees and hornets have long been adversaries, despite being related. After all, a bee hive for a hornet is valuable and nutritious meat for the larvae and food for the adults.

The Japanese huge hornet is a close relative living in our country. But despite this, the difference in appearance and size between these insects is simply enormous.

Comparing them, you can see that the Japanese hornet differs from its European counterpart in color, however, this is far from its main characteristic. Size is what this giant can “boast” of. This insect bears its name “giant Japanese hornet” for a reason: its body length can exceed 4 cm, and its wingspan can exceed 6 cm.

The photo below shows Japanese:

And this is what the common hornet (Vespa crabro) looks like, which is widespread in Russia and Europe:

Perhaps the first thing that comes to mind when you see a Japanese “monster” is how dangerous it is and how painful its bite is. Indeed, he has a very terrifying appearance, which, however, accurately reflects the seriousness of the consequences of meeting him.

Japanese hornets can indeed be very dangerous: in the country that gives these insects their name, more than 40 people die from their bites every year. All the people who have ever been stung by this hornet claim that they have never experienced a more painful bite in their lives.

On a note

Almost any encounter with a hornet, no matter what species it belongs to, is dangerous to one degree or another. It is not surprising that medical scientists and biologists are very interested in the effect of the bites of these insects on the human body. It turned out that in nature one of the strongest poisons is that of the giant Japanese hornet: even with a single bite, it can cause a powerful allergic reaction, including anaphylactic shock. In the event of a massive attack by several hornets of this species, severe hemorrhages and tissue necrosis can occur in humans.

When planning a trip to Japan, it is useful to always be prepared for a chance encounter with giant hornets and know not only what they look like, but also how to behave so that the insects do not attack.

What does a Japanese giant hornet look like?

Generally speaking, giant hornets in Japan are a subspecies of the Asian giant hornet. These insects are found only on the Japanese islands, being classic endemics.

Despite its impressive size, the giant Japanese hornet is still somewhat inferior in this regard to the mainland Scolia wasps: these insects are even larger. Scolia is considered the largest wasp in the world.

However, the Japanese hornet is not small (especially in comparison with other species) - in the photo below you can estimate its size compared to the palm of a person:

The length and wingspan of the Japanese giant hornet is its main difference from most other species of the Hornet genus. Even in comparison with those of a similar color, the Japanese giant is more striking due to the simple ratio of the dimensions of the body to the size of the flowers and branches on which it is found.

The coloring of the Japanese giant hornet is another characteristic feature of it. The insect has a black chest, a yellow head and the base of the abdomen of the same color, which is lined with transverse brown and black stripes from the middle. This pattern makes it easy to distinguish this huge wasp from the European hornets we are used to - the domestic species has a monochromatic yellow back half of the abdomen.

Photo Japanese hornet close-up:

And for an ordinary comparison:

The giant hornet has two clearly visible large eyes on the front of the head, and just above them there are three additional small appendage ocelli, providing a large viewing area (see photo).

In general, all the hornets in the world - both European and Japanese, and the beautiful yellow Vespa bicolor - despite some distinctive features, are equally related and belong to the family of true wasps. For this reason, their lifestyle, nutritional patterns and biological features are very similar.

On a note

Sometimes the Japanese hornet is incorrectly called the Oriental hornet. In fact, the oriental hornet (Vespa orientalis) is a separate species, widespread, for example, in southern Europe, in subtropical regions of Asia, as well as in North Africa, and is adapted to living in a dry climate. These insects nest in the ground.

Below is a photograph of an oriental hornet (Vespa orientalis):

Life of a huge wasp

As already mentioned, the Japanese giant hornet is a strict island endemic. Outside of Japan, it was found only in the south of Sakhalin. On the mainland this species is not found at all.

As for the lifestyle, the Japanese giant lives in almost all biotopes, except for the alpine belt and large cities. Where insects live, there are almost no drafts or other disturbing factors: their nests are located on branches and in hollows of trees, under the roofs of rural buildings, on rock ledges in the forest area, in rock cracks and natural niches.

The huge hornet builds dwellings that are very similar to paper wasp nests, only larger and more voluminous. This structure and location of the dwellings of these insects is characteristic of almost all other species of their relatives.

The nest is built in early spring by a young, overwintered female. She feeds the first larvae herself, and the working hornets that emerge from them begin to help the founding female get food and care for the brood. After a short time - as the colony grows - the queen stops doing anything other than laying eggs.

From the moment the egg is laid until the hornet emerges from the pupa, about 28-30 days pass.

If we talk about the food preferences of this insect, it is worth noting that the Japanese giant hornet, however, like all its close relatives, is a predator. The main part of its diet consists of various insects, spiders, worms, and mollusks.

However, like other wasps, the huge hornet loves honey, the juice of sweet fruits, and can also fly to the smell of meat and fish. He does not even refuse food that has begun to spoil.

Another thing is the larvae. Hornets feed their offspring exclusively with meat. highest quality- they give them the most delicious pieces of prey.

The photo below shows Japanese hornet larvae:

The entire hornet colony develops before the swarming period, which occurs in late summer and early autumn. At this point, the eggs hatch into young males and females capable of reproducing. After swarming and mating, the males die, and the females find shelters for wintering and hide in them in order to begin life cycle again.

Thus, the entire life of hornets fits into just a short period of time - the warm season. During the winter, the nest dies out, and out of the entire family of thousands, only the females remain.

The photo shows an example of such an empty nest:

Storm of all bees

The huge hornet causes the most trouble to Japanese beekeepers. Honey bees (usually the European variety, which are more industrious and less aggressive) are a real delicacy for hornets. However, the prey is not only bees, but also the honey they produce, which the giant predator feasts on after the destruction of the hive.

This is interesting

A single giant hornet can kill up to thirty bees in a minute, and a group of 30-40 “aggressors” destroys a bee family of 20-25 thousand individuals in a few hours.

If a scout hornet finds a residential hive with bees, it leaves odorous marks near it, and upon returning to the nest, it shows its fellows the way to the delicacy. After this, the murder hornets set off as a whole squad to destroy the hive.

In fairness, it is worth noting that some species of bees, in turn, also have a unique mechanism for combating hornets. However, it gives results only with a small number of attackers. If the hornets attack in significant numbers, the bees, alas, are powerless.

So, how does the bees' defense mechanism work? The defense of the hive consists of several stages:

• at the very beginning, when the giant hornet tries to enter the hive, several bees surround it;
• then others sit on them, and this continues until a huge ball of bees, up to 30-35 cm in diameter, grows around the hornet;
• parallel to this process, all the defenders of the hive actively move their wings, directing the air inside the ball - towards the aggressor - and heating it to 46-47 ° C, which is destructive for the hornet (the bees themselves can withstand heating up to 50 ° C).

The result of all these efforts is the death of the attacking predator from overheating within about one hour.

Despite this seemingly effective mechanism, bees are not able to cope with an entire squad of winged killers. That is why the Japanese huge hornet is considered to be the cause of serious losses for beekeeping farms in this country. Owners and workers of apiaries are doing their best to destroy hornet nests near the locations of honey beehives.

However, the struggle of beekeepers against an enemy insect often ends in loss: a huge hornet, due to its size, can fly away in search of food up to 10 km from its nest, and pursue the victim itself up to 5 km. Therefore, despite all human efforts, destroying the nests of a giant predator often does not produce significant results in protecting apiaries.

How poisonous is the huge hornet?

The Japanese giant hornet is one of the most poisonous among its relatives. And the point here is not only in the toxicity and specificity of the poison, but in the amount of it that the insect can “reward” its victim: one portion of toxins in the huge Japanese hornet is almost one and a half times more than in its ordinary European counterpart.

It is worth paying attention to the fact that, despite all its poisonousness, the huge hornet hunts mainly with the help of its jaws. The sting and poison are used only when fighting the largest and most dangerous victims, when the giant is “unsure” of his strength, or when he is defending himself.

Interestingly, an ordinary honey bee, when biting, injects significantly more poison into the wound than even a hornet. At the same time, she often leaves her sting at the site of the bite, connected to a special reservoir of poison, the muscles of which continue to contract for a long time. The hornet never leaves its sting in the wound (its sting is not jagged, unlike the sting of a bee).

The photo below shows a bee sting:

This is what a hornet's sting looks like:

The sting of a huge Japanese hornet is truly amazingly painful. It is felt immediately as soon as the giant inserts the sting under the skin. Usually, within a few seconds after this, swelling, severe throbbing pain and inflammation appear at the site of the bite.

After about half an hour, more distinct and serious symptoms of poisoning develop - dizziness, rapid heartbeat, and a sharp increase in body temperature. That is why the stung person needs careful observation - in some cases, these manifestations of allergies can almost instantly develop into a threat to life.

This is interesting

The sting length of the Japanese giant hornet is more than 6 mm. To inject it under the skin, an insect does not have to sit on a person; it can do this on the fly, and many times.

In people who are particularly sensitive to insect poisons, seemingly banal swelling can turn into a severe allergic reaction with enlarged lymph nodes, nausea and Quincke's edema.

Quite often, after such bites, victims experience anaphylactic shock, sometimes with death. If a person is stung by several hornets at once, he may develop enormous swelling with profuse hemorrhages and necrosis of some tissue in the affected areas of the body.

“The first time for me was in the early summer of 2011, when I was working in my garden. The pain was terrible, as if molten lead had been poured onto my palm. I shook the hornet off my hand and tried to suck the poison out of the wound, but this did not work. I had to go to the hospital. By the time I got there, my condition had deteriorated greatly. My whole arm was swollen up to the elbow, I started to feel hot, my heart was pounding. Already in the hospital I was given some fast-acting medications, and I began to feel better. Two days later I was discharged home, and my arm stopped hurting only after 12 days.”

Isimi Tomasu, Sima

Despite all the horrors that can be caused by the bite of a giant Japanese hornet, in general it is much less aggressive and calmer than, say, an ordinary wasp or bee. It is almost always a person who provokes a bite from this huge predator - when he deliberately tries to get to the nest or accidentally touches an insect. In all other cases, giant hornets in Japan do not pose a direct threat to humans, and if you encounter them you can easily disperse without consequences.

Interesting video: bees defend their hive from a hornet invasion