Great Hornets: Giant Asian and Black Hornets

Varieties of Giant Hornets

There are 23 species on our planet. hornets, whose lifestyle has much in common, and external signs differ in size, color, there are differences in nutrition and behavior. The most gigantic and dangerous insect for humans is the species of Asian hornets (Vespa Mandarinia), which lives in the forests of Southeast Asia and the Far East, in subtropical regions of Central Asia, Southern Europe, North Africa and the Middle East.

Depending on the habitat zone, Asian Mandarinians are subdivided into several subspecies: for example, in Japan japanese hornetin China - Chinese, etc.

The species of giant hornets also include the following:

• Oriental, considered the most beautiful among the brethren, are colored red-brown, on the abdomen there are 3 yellow stripes. They live in arid zones of Russia and the Middle East, preferring dry steppes and deserts.
• The black or hornet of Dybowski (Vespa dybowskii) differs from other species in that it nests in the already built houses of its brethren, first killing the queen and all the inhabitants.
• The African hornet is one of the subspecies of the Asian "giant wasp", also has a yellow-black color, but lives in North African countries: Algeria, Libya, Egypt, Somalia, Sudan, etc.

Interesting!

In nature, in the southern regions of Europe, in the Crimea or in the Caucasus, in the Middle East, one can encounter black hornets with blue wings, which are large enough in size - up to 28 mm. However, by biological classification, they are called bumblebee carpenter and are representatives of the bee family.

Description of the Asian giant

Giant asian hornet

Most dangerous and the largest hornets on Earth are the Asian giant, which can be found in the forests not only of Asia, but also of other countries, which must be taken into account by tourists planning to visit exotic corners of the planet.

Externally, the Asian hornet looks like a huge yellow-black wasp with a wingspan of up to 7.5 cm, so it is impossible not to notice.

Interesting!

In different countries, locals call it "sparrow bee" or "tiger bee" not only for the size and presence of black and yellow stripes, but also for the deadly danger of bites that cause severe toxic poisoning in people, and in allergy sufferers lethal.

The body of the giant Asian Mandarinia is 5 cm in length, painted in yellow and black stripes, and the breast is almost completely brown or black. Unlike the European species, the head has a bright yellow color, with long mustaches on it. The number of eyes he has is 5: in addition to 2 ordinary, his forehead is decorated with 3 additional organs of vision that allow you to better navigate in space and on the ground, to distinguish colors (see the photo of the largest hornet and its eyes).

In its way of feeding, it belongs to predators that actively hunt small insects, including pests. However, giant hornets also destroy useful bees, causing great harm to apiaries. Larger sizes allow them to produce more food, which is not available for small relatives. They also love to feast on sweet fruits and berries, juices or nectar.

The poison of the Asian hornet and the effects of the bite

Asian Hornet Bite

A characteristic feature of the giant killer hornets is the ability to repeatedly bite and inject toxic poison into the body of the victim with the help of the sting. The substance formed in the body of an insect, has a complex composition and has a strong poisoning ability.

The main components of the poison of giant Asian hornets:

• histamine, contributing to the appearance of edema and allergic reactions;
• mandorotoxin - refers to the type of neurotoxins that affect the blocking of the nervous system of mammals;
• acetylcholine - a substance secreted during a bite, which the smell attracts other hornets, after which the victim is attacked by several relatives;
• toxic substances that have a melting function on the tissue of the victim, which causes severe pain and even shock.

The reaction of the human body to the hornet bite usually manifests itself almost instantaneously: there is a strong inflammation, swelling and hardening at the injection site of the poison, blood flow (hyperemia). Next, the temperature starts to rise, there is an increase in the lymph nodes, shortness of breath and headaches, an attack of heartbeat. In a situation where a person prone to allergies has been attacked, asphyxiation (suffocation) may develop in a few minutes, which can lead to death.

Due to the fact that hornets often attack the entire “army”, as a result of numerous bites, a completely healthy person may develop tissue necrosis, extensive hemorrhages into internal organs.

Interesting!

Every year, about 70 people die from the bites of giant hornets on the Japanese islands, which exceeds the mortality rate from the bites of any large or small wild animals and indicates the extreme danger of "Asian killers".

Life cycle

Giant asian hornet

The habitat of most Asian hornet in Russia is the Far East, as well as the woodlands of China, Japan, India and Korea. After hibernation in winter, the queen uterus fertilized since autumn is looking for a place to build itself. nests. The building material for it is the bark of trees chewed by jaws, from which the “builders” form a honeycomb and a house in the form of a cocoon, it is hung from tree branches or hidden in a hollow or a cave.

After construction, the female lays eggs in honeycombs and fixes them with a sticky mass. As they mature, larvae appear that are fed by the working individuals of the colony, for which they bring small insects from the hunt, which are partially chewed in the mouth.

Practically in 2 weeks full-fledged hornets-females and drones grow from the larvae, which are engaged in the further construction of the nest.In total, the queen can lay up to 500 eggs in colonies.

Interesting!

At the end of the warm season, the female and the working males die, only the fertilized individuals survive - the future founders of the colonies.

Hunting tactics of giant hornets

During the entire months, from spring to a cold snap in the fall, from early morning until late evening, Asian hornets hunt to feed for the larvae that develop in the nest. Flying through the forest, scouts are looking for small insects, as well as beehives. Having found them, they label it with a special substance with odorous pheromones. Working hornets fly to the attractive scent that kill the entire population of the colony, take honey and larvae.

On a note!

According to the observations of scientists, for one hunting operation, aggressive "conquerors" can destroy a colony consisting of 30 thousand bees. However, the inhabitants of the hive do not always surrender without a fight, sometimes they manage to kill the scout before the signal is given and can save their offspring from death. To do this, they lure him into the hive, where they raise the temperature of the air to + 50ºС with the help of vibration of the wings, which causes overheating and death of the hornet-scout.

For a lone insect, caught on the road "hunter", there is no way to salvation. When attacking, the predator has time to quickly inject paralyzing poison, and then with powerful jaws gnaws prey. To decapitate the praying mantis, which is larger than the "Asian wasp", it will take him only a few seconds.

Black Hornet - Nesting Parasite

Black hornet

Habitat of this species: Primorye and Transbaikalia in Russia, as well as Asian countries: China, India, Burma, Japan and Korea, Thailand. The size of the body is females up to 31 mm, males - 22-25 mm.

On a note!

The color of insects is very different from the "giant wasps": the belly is black and the head has a red and black pattern, the wings are dark brown, as seen in the photo of the black hornet below.

This species of hornets leads to an original way of life, which makes it possible to consider them nesting parasites. Instead of building their own hive, black females at the end of the summer season are trying to find a suitable, already built nest of their fellows, usually of European or small Japanese species.

Having penetrated inside, the black female kills the colony queen and takes her place, disguised with the help of special pheromones.She lays her own fertilized eggs, and the working individuals, not noticing the substitution, begin to feed her larvae and serve the new queen.

When the number of grown black females and males has increased enough, they leave the colony and mate. Later, males die, and females winter in the bark of trees or look for the next nest to substantiate their home.

How to avoid hornet bites

Having met "giant wasps" in nature, you should behave cautiously and not panic. Such insects never attack humans on their own, but only when they threaten to destroy their nest or cause damage.

Therefore, being in the forest near beehives or flying “giant wasps”, you must adhere to the following rules of behavior:

• never catch or disturb them;
• it is dangerous for life to approach the nest or try to touch it;
• you can not make sudden movements, knock on trees, because "giant wasps" understand such actions as a threat;
• if you kill a single hornet, then the whole family will fly to the odor it emits;
• smells of bananas or apples can provoke an attack, so it is not recommended to use cosmetics with such flavors, going to the forest.

It should be remembered that giant hornets belong to the orderlies of the forest, destroying many types of pests, there are few of them left in nature, because of which they are listed in the Red Book.