Hornet is a winged corsair. Wasps and hornets in the garden Are hornets dangerous for humans?

Many people have encountered large wasps, which are also called hornets. These insects are also sometimes called “flying tigers” and “winged corsairs”. Often, after meeting them, people have a negative opinion. Hornets often cause panic and even fear, and this fear is justified because this insect can sting a person painfully.

In most cases, the bites of these insects cause a severe allergic reaction in people. Nevertheless large wasps capable of being useful. In order for your encounter with this insect not to be overshadowed, it is important to know who these “flying tigers” are?

As is known, the genus Hornets belongs to to the family True wasps. This is the reason for some similarity between these insects and wasps. The similarities between wasps and hornets are not only in appearance. The lifestyle, feeding and reproduction methods of these two species of insects are certainly similar. However, there are some differences between them.

Typically, the hornets' habitat does not intersect with human possessions. These insects can eat a variety of foods, but their preference is given to predation.

As a rule, other insects are caught by hornets in large quantities in areas close to their nests. For this reason, large wasps represent danger to bees. And for beekeepers they are a disaster.

Types of hornets and where they live

Now there are 23 species of these insects. Large wasps are found in various parts of the world. There are a lot of areas where hornets live. These insects are mainly distributed in the Northern Hemisphere.

Eastern hornet. This species is often found in Europe, the Asian part of Russia, and also Asia. They are characterized by an unusual color: the body of this insect is brown, but its distinctive feature is the yellow band, which occupies a third of the abdomen.

Hornet stings are among the most dangerous among insects. This is explained by the nature of the poison and its quantity (the hornet is a large insect).

The hornet is one of the largest representatives of the wasp genus. This massive insect, measuring up to 55 mm in length, is very dangerous. In fact, the hornet differs from an ordinary wasp only in the size of the top of its head and its rounded abdomen. Like all representatives of the wasp genus, hornets build their paper nests. You can often distinguish a hornet's nest from an ordinary wasp's nest by color. Since hornets are accustomed to building nests from rotten stumps and birch branches, their so-called hive has a bright brown color, and the wasp nest has a cool gray tint. To build their nest, hornets choose a variety of hollows, attics and paths. These insects feed on flies, bees, wasps, mosquitoes and all smaller insects. Like all representatives of wasps, hornets are very fond of sweets. In addition to their smaller brothers, they feed on substances that contain a lot of sugar, for example, honey from bees.

How dangerous is a hornet and how bad the consequences can be

Many people, especially those living outside the city, are concerned about the question: “How dangerous is a hornet to humans?” These insects occupy one of the first places in terms of danger and degree of harm. to the human body. The danger is represented by its poison, which can affect both the tissue at the site of the sting and the entire body as a whole. Representatives of the tropical species of hornets are especially dangerous. Tropical hornets use deadly poison; moreover, they are larger than their European relatives and inject more poison when they bite. But don’t think that the common European hornet is much safer. Its bite can also lead to fatal outcome. Especially if the victim is a person who is highly sensitive to insect poisons.

The venom of this insect is the most powerful among all insect venoms. Therefore, you should not torment yourself with questions: “how is a hornet dangerous,” and by any means you should avoid contact with these insects.

How does the poison work?

As mentioned above, hornet venom is very dangerous. Let's take a closer look at how the bite of this insect affects a person.

The first thing a person begins to feel after a hornet bite is a sharp throbbing pain. The sting itself resembles a bee sting. Then large swelling and inflammation appears at the site of the bite. Hornet venom destroys cells and walls of blood vessels. It is because of this that local hemorrhages occur, and sometimes, in very rare cases, even extensive hematomas, suppuration and general complete poisoning of the body.

Moreover, the person begins to suffer from severe headaches, the heartbeat accelerates, the temperature rises and the head becomes dizzy.

If the victim is attacked by not one, but many insects at once, this can even lead to death.

Sometimes, in order to save a person after being bitten by a hornet, his fingers were amputated.

Are there any benefits from hornets?

Most people are more concerned about why the hornet is dangerous and very few people are interested in whether this insect has any benefit.

By its nature, the hornet is a predator that destroys a large number of different harmful insects on which it feeds. Thus it brings benefits. But not when they start building nests in apiaries. In such cases, they are terrible pests and killers of honey producers.

In order to get rid of hornets that have chosen your area for their nest, it is important to strictly adhere to safety measures.

To begin with, you should wear very thick protective clothing. Make sure that every part of your body is covered so that insects do not have a chance to sting you. Be sure to take care of a mask that will protect your face.

Then you need to choose the right time. Hornets are active and aggressive during the day, so it is best to deal with nests early in the morning or late in the evening. Due to lower temperatures, hornets are less active in the morning and evening. Then find some kind of stick or long pole and pick up the nest. Take it somewhere away from your home.

Prevention measures against hornets

To prevent these dangerous creatures from bothering you, you need to follow some preventive measures.

Here are some of the most important rules for preventing the appearance of hornets in your home:

1) Remove the food source. Hornets have very good memory, so they perfectly remember the places of food sources and visit them regularly. Uncollected garbage or leftover animal feed is a great tempter for these insects. Therefore, do not throw garbage around the yard; store all leftover food in special airtight containers.

2) Change the landscape of your site. As mentioned above, hornets have a very good memory. They are able to remember everything down to the smallest detail. Therefore, if there was previously a nest of these on your territory dangerous insects, then try to change it as quickly as possible appearance plot. Remove a few branches, place some decorative elements in the yard, figurines, and seal holes. This way you will deceive the insects and make your life easier.

3) Carefully destroy all traces. Remove all traces of previous nests. Remove all honey, wax, remains of nests and other obvious signs of hornets. Then all these places must be thoroughly treated with pesticide. Be careful during processing.

The hornet is a rather dangerous insect. Therefore, avoid contact with him. Be extremely careful and never allow children near them.

The industrious hornet is an insect that is not as simple as it seems at first glance. Creating big family, the hornets work day after day for the benefit of their colony.

When they find themselves close to a person, they can not only bite painfully, but also benefit him. Therefore, it is important to know the habits of hornets and be able to negotiate with them.

Description and types

Appearance

Hornet (Vespa) is a stinging insect of the order Hymenoptera and the largest representative of the genus of social wasps. As an insect that represents its family, the hornet has a wasp-like waist, striped abdomen, thin transparent wings, large eyes and powerful jaws. However, the hornet has a number of features by which it can be easily distinguished from the well-known wasp. He is twice the size of his relative.

The hornet's coloration includes yellow, orange, brown and black, while the wasp's coloration is only yellow and black. The hornet is often called the largest wasp.

Varieties

The main distribution areas of the insect are the northern hemisphere of the planet up to the 63rd parallel. There are a total of 23 known species of hornets. They have a lot in common: lifestyle, reproduction, dietary preferences, but they are different external signs and sizes. The most common ones are:

Hornets live in colonies in nests built in the form of several horizontal tiers of honeycombs. As a material for their home, they use a cardboard-like mass, which they make themselves by chewing wood fibers and moistening it with saliva. A nest can contain up to 7 rows of honeycombs, each row containing about 550 cells.

Hornets make their nests in hollow trees, in old birdhouses, under the roofs of houses, and in attics.

Inhabitants of steppe regions settle in animal burrows or underground.

What does an insect eat?

Hornets feed on nectar and plant foods containing a lot of sugar. Among the insects' preferences are ripe fruits, berries, flower nectar, honey and tree sap.

At the same time, hornets are predators. They hunt insects to feed their larvae. With the help of its sting and powerful jaws, the hornet easily copes with flies, horseflies, gadflies, wasps, grasshoppers, etc. It completely chews the prey and feeds it to the larvae.

Reproduction of hornets

The founder of each hornet family is a fertile female (queen), who survived the winter in a secluded place. In the spring, with the onset of warmth, the queen wakes up, looks for a place for a nest, builds the first honeycombs and raises the first larvae from the eggs laid in them.

At the beginning of July, the larvae turn into working hornets, which immediately get to work. They obtain food for new larvae, feed the queen and protect the home from enemies. The uterus no longer works and only lays eggs.

With coordinated work, the family quickly grows, new rows of honeycombs are set up and the nest increases in size. Working hornets are sterile females, but by autumn, young queens and males (drones) capable of reproducing appear in the colony.

Fertilized young females hide in secluded places for the winter in order to create a new family in the spring, and the queen and males who have fulfilled their function soon die. The head of the family, the queen, lives about a year, and all other family members live only a few months.

Benefits and harms

Hornets are useful in that they destroy insects, making it easier for gardeners to combat garden pests, but the hornets' usefulness ends when they settle in apiaries.

Hornets - a thunderstorm of bees

In autumn, honey bees become the main food of hornets - other insects already die at this time.

When raiding hives, one hornet can eat about 30 bees in a day.

When uninvited guests appear, beekeepers try to get rid of them by all possible means.

Being too close to hornets can also be dangerous for humans. An insect bite causes burning pain and can provoke severe allergic reactions.

The bite can be dangerous to humans

Consequences

When attacking, a hornet can bite one or more times. A single bite is not as dangerous to humans as multiple bites. Hit large quantity Insect venom under the skin can cause serious trouble.

After a hornet attack, a person develops intoxication of the body, which leads to the following consequences:

  • dizziness, headache, signs of nausea and vomiting.
  • fever and chills, sweating.
  • difficulty breathing, shortness of breath, in rare cases, convulsions.

The consequences may vary in severity. It depends on the type of hornet, on the person’s immune system, on his age and sensitivity to allergens. Children are the most susceptible to hornet venom. The most dangerous consequence Hornet attacks can cause angioedema and anaphylactic shock.

Help with a bite

There are several first aid rules for a hornet sting that will help minimize the consequences of an attack by the largest wasp. The sequence of actions is as follows:

  1. Examine the bite site and remove sting particles with tweezers, if any.
  2. Carefully squeeze out the insect venom.
  3. Wash the wound with soap and then wipe it with a solution of alcohol or potassium permanganate.
  4. Apply cold.
  5. Take an antihistamine.

You don’t need to visit a doctor if the hornet has bitten you only once and there is no deterioration in the victim’s condition. However, you should consult a doctor if the following signs are present:

  • severe pain and extensive swelling of the bite site;
  • weakness and severe manifestations of allergies;
  • attack by several hornets at the same time;
  • The victim's age is under 16 years.

How to Avoid a Bite

The hornet attacks only when it senses danger to itself or its nest. At the first threat, it releases a special substance - alarm pheromone, which serves as an attack signal for other individuals. Therefore, you should not kill the hornet near the nest. Hornets, sensing the smell of danger, the whole family can attack the offender of their relative.

It is advisable to destroy hornet nests only in cases where they threaten bees or their nests are located too close to housing. If the insects have built their home where they will not be disturbed, there is no need to be afraid of their attack. On the contrary, they will even become assistants in protecting the crop from others

What smells do hornets dislike? How to get rid of them? A lot of hornets fly over the garden. I do not know what to do. There is only one advice on the Internet: destroy the nest. But my neighbors and I checked the plots left and right and back and forth for five or six sections. NO ONE HAS A NEST. It's impossible to do anything, they fly everywhere. And when my grandchildren come, I’m very afraid that hornets will bite them (last year a neighbor’s teenager was bitten) and I don’t let them into the yard. I myself have allergies and their bite is undesirable for me. I already acetic acid I watered the paths, hung rags soaked in kerosene, and treated the paths with clean ammonia - nothing helps. Does anyone know what smell hornets REALLY DISLIKE? Help with advice. Thanks to all.

Maria, you are not alone, most people are afraid of stinging insects, but in reality it’s not that scary. Remember that the insect never attacks first, but stings only if it is in danger. Therefore, you should not provoke it, and it will not defend itself aggressively. In nature, unfortunately, this is how it works: either you, or you. So try to live amicably with them. :)

Brr, it’s so scary, I’m very afraid of wasps, hornets, bees. This year, the hornets decided to settle under our garage roof and bit my brother, of course it was his own fault, but still I didn’t want neighbors like that. Their father poisoned them with dichlorvos, we understand that this is completely inhumane, but there is nothing you can do to protect your home. After this, the hornets did not appear again and, I hope, will not appear.

Hornets are members of the family of social wasps. Moreover, they are the largest representatives. The length of individuals of some species can reach 5.5 centimeters.

Hornets have a color typical of representatives of stinging, and therefore dangerous, insects - black and yellow. These two contrasting colors are clearly distinguishable by birds from a great distance, so in nature hornets have practically no feathered enemies. Other animals also avoid meeting them in the same territory and even leave their usual habitat if the hornets decide to build a nest on it.

The reason for this behavior is not at all the aggressiveness of this species of Hymenoptera. It’s just that they, like other wasps, have a sharply sharpened weapon - the hornet’s sting.

Important! If hornets have built a nest in the immediate vicinity of your home, it will be useful for you to know which ones are the most effective?

Does a hornet have a sting?

In a calm state, absolutely nothing can be seen at the tip of the abdomen of this insect. Thanks to their coloring, which honestly warns that you need to stay away from them, hornets live quite carefree. Not afraid of anyone, they themselves are dangerous predators. They hunt flies, grasshoppers, and spiders, but hornets cause the most problems to beekeepers. By attacking hives, a small swarm of hornets can chew through several families of honey bees.

Hornets use the power of their jaws to tackle their prey. Anyone who has encountered this insect at least once will never forget his first impression of the sight of a large striped body, a large head with noticeable eyes, and the sound of the bass buzzing of its wings. The jaws of such a giant can bite through the thin skin of a child, causing pain.

But it happens much more often that the hornet uses a sting. He has it, it is an excellent example of a weapon of self-defense and attack. Thanks to the special structure of the muscles and body segments at the end of the abdomen, the sting can freely hide inside it and move out at lightning speed if necessary.

Hornet sting size

Since the sting is nothing more than the remains of a greatly changed ovipositor, it is characteristic only of female hunters. Males deprived of these weapons are completely harmless to large animals, but still dangerous to bees and anyone else they consider their rightful prey.

In ancient treatises on the description of terrestrial animals one can find fantastic information that hornets usually have several stings, and their sizes vary from small to huge, several centimeters.

In fact, the size of the sting is not so small - in the most dangerous Asian giant hornet it is close to one centimeter. In the common hornet, distributed throughout most of Russia, as well as the United States of America and Canada, its size is measured in several millimeters, usually 4–6 mm.

Under a microscope you can see what a hornet's sting looks like. If the sting of a wasp consists of two halves adjacent to each other, and the sting of a bee at high magnification looks like a saw - with jagged edges - then the sting of a hornet is a dense tube of durable chitin, smooth and hollow. Moreover, it is pointed at the end - for better penetration under the skin of the offender or victim.

At the moment of the sting, the muscle fibers at the end of the hornet's abdomen contract, and a dose of poison is injected into the tube. Each of us has felt the pain of an injection syringe needle and knows how the medicine gets under the skin. The principle of operation is the same here. Only the stung person experiences pain not so much from the puncture of the skin, but from the action of the poison.

The danger of hornet venom

The hornet is a thrifty insect. In one blow, it releases only a tiny drop of poison under the victim's skin. But if necessary, he can sting him several times. Perhaps this is where the legend of the hornet arose as a creature with many stings.

Does the hornet leave a sting in the victim's skin? No, it is precisely because of its smoothness that this device is so easily removed from the wound and can attack again and again. If, in a panic attack, a person accidentally slams an insect while dying, it will release a special alarm pheromone into the air. Sensing him, other members of the nest will rush to protect their relative, and then the person will be in trouble.

Even a single bite from this large insect is dangerous. Toxins include:

  • acetylcholine is a transmitter of nervous excitation from nerve cells to the muscles and back. It is thanks to the high concentration of this substance in the dose of the resulting poison that such strong, unbearable pain is felt;
  • protein components and histamine, which provokes an instant allergic reaction, and proteins develop and strengthen it;
  • phospholipases, which destroy the walls of blood capillaries, cause hemorrhages and suppuration at the site of the sting;
  • substances that increase heartbeat, which means the spread of poison throughout the body along with the blood.

Usually twisted in such a way as to immediately take off, leaving the victim alone with excruciating pain. A hornet bite to the throat, head, heart, or abdominal cavity of a person is especially dangerous.. Even if the body is resistant to the poison, the swelling that develops can compress vital organs or airways, leading to death.

Do not forget that the hornet’s sting is an organ that protects the animal. It can cause big problems with your health. Treat hornets with due caution and avoid places where they appear.

Hornets love honey and attack bees, so you need to fight them. They first study the habits and characteristics of the insect: where it lives, what it eats. This will help you understand the behavior of pests.

Representatives of the hornet genus are members of the True wasps family. Thanks to this, insects have a lot in common: body shape, stripes on the back, colors (yellow and black shades). Lifestyle, eating habits, and behavioral characteristics also unite pests. However, there are a number distinctive features, which characterize hornets.

Types of hornets

There are quite a lot of insects that look like wasps. There are 23 species of hornets. They are found on different continents, due to their lifestyle. Some of the most notable representatives:

European, aka ordinary

Characterized by medium size (up to 3.5 cm). Head, chest - Brown, the lower part of the body is painted in black and yellow stripes. Like most insects of other species, female wasps are larger than males.

The maximum body length is 3 cm, and females reach this size. Males are smaller, as are workers. Body color is brown. The eastern hornet stands out due to the yellow spot on its head and two stripes of the same color on the lower part of the body.

Asian, the most gigantic and dangerous

It is called giant due to its large size. The body length is 6 cm, the wingspan is a quarter larger than the body size. The back is painted with yellow-black stripes, the head is also bright yellow.

Black look

Black hornet (Dybovsky). The body length is up to 3.5 cm, the color is predominantly black, only two yellow stripes are visible on the back. The wings are characterized by a brown tint with a transition to transparent edges.

Nutritional Features

Honey cannot be called the main food of insects, but they enjoy it with pleasure when they ruin the hives. What do hornets eat? The basis of the diet is insects: spiders, caterpillars, flies, mosquitoes, dragonflies and butterflies. The list includes bees. Hornets do not destroy hives because of aggression; they do this if they find themselves near an apiary while hunting for food.

Large pests are able to fly day and night. For this reason, the diet also includes nocturnal insects. During the day, the hornet sometimes collects up to 0.5 kg of live food. Pests obtain insects for young offspring and the uterus. The adult consumes nectar, as well as pollen, fruits and berries. Representatives of some species (Asian pest) are attracted to meat and fish.

Where the hornet lives, bee families cannot feel safe either.

More about the breeding process

The colony is started by the female. Having finished wintering, she begins to search for a nesting place, and then begins building the first honeycombs. A young generation of insects emerges from oviposition. The female searches for food and raises larvae.

This is how working individuals appear. Now they are responsible for searching and obtaining food for the young. From now on, the queen is engaged only in reproduction - she regularly lays eggs. All workers are females and are sterile. Closer to autumn, adults begin to appear that are capable of reproducing.

Lifespan

Females and males differ in appearance (body size), solve different problems, and in addition, insects live for a certain amount of time. Thus, males appear closer to autumn only for fertilization, then immediately die. Working individuals live from 3 weeks to several months. Due to the lack of ability to reproduce, they also die.

If hornets continue to live in winter, it means they are fertilized females. In the spring they will begin to build new nests. The main large wasp (queen) lives for about a year.

Where do insects live?

Representatives of the European hornet species are found in Europe, which means they can be seen in Russia. Eastern brothers live in the south of Russia, as well as in Asia and North Africa, in Madagascar. Given their large size and high level of danger, you should find out where giant insects (Asian) live. Their homeland is Asia. This means that pests are found on Far East, in India, China, Korea, Japan, etc. Representatives rare species black hornets live here too. They can be found in the Far East of Russia, Korea, Japan, China, and India.

The home has honeycombs and chambers where the larvae grow. The size can reach a diameter of 70 cm, a height of up to 1 m.

To get a complete picture of the lifestyle of pests, you need to know how hornets overwinter. Reliable shelter helps pests survive the cold. Old tree stumps are well suited for this purpose. Insects hide under the bark of trees, in deep crevices. Suitable places Where hornets usually hibernate is the siding of a house or barn.

They live in families in nests they have built. The nests look the same as those of ordinary wasps, only much larger

Life in the nest

The shape of the nest is constantly changing, since as insects reproduce, they add honeycombs and chambers. Initially, the pest shelter resembles a pear. Then it increases in size and changes in shape.

They feed most of the insects they catch to their larvae.

Only the queen and the younger generation can live permanently in the nest. Working individuals are on the move and fly here to spend the night.

Males live the shortest, from several days to several weeks. The uterus lives for about 1 year. Workers - about 3-4 weeks.

Interesting video:Hornets - Empire of Ruthless Killers

Who will survive the winter?

Despite the fact that hornets look for secluded places for the winter, where they then hide throughout the entire period, only females can withstand the cold climate. Males die at the end of autumn. The same outcome awaits females whose age has reached 1 year; not a single representative of the hornet genus is able to survive winter twice. Young females are the only ones who stay for the winter. Individual “cleaners” and working insects also die in the fall.