Giant hornet, the largest in the world. Giant Asian murder hornet

Sometimes in the world of insects and animals there are bizarre or terrible specimens. One of the terrifying insects that instills fear in humans is the Asian giant hornet (lat. Vespa mandarina) - the largest hornet in the world. Asian giant hornet it reaches a length of up to five centimeters, and its wingspan is seven and a half centimeters.

The Asian giant hornet lives in Korea, Nepal, and the mountainous regions of Sri Lanka. Here this huge insect can be found everywhere. In addition, they live in large numbers in the Primorsky Territory of the Russian Federation.

IN different countries Vespa mandarina are called differently. For example, in Taiwan it is called " tiger bee"He actually has brindle coloring- black stripes on the yellow body of the insect. Most likely, such a name does not last role played by the size of the hornet. And in Japan the Asian huge hornet is called " sparrow bee" due to the large span of its wings.

Its sting reaches up to 6 millimeters. The venom produced by the Asian giant hornet is highly toxic. That is why the bite of this hornet is extremely dangerous for humans. In terms of toxicity, the bite of Vespa mandarina is many times more dangerous than the bites of other species of hornets, since the bite produces a large number of poison. Once a Japanese entomologist, who was bitten by a huge Asian hornet, spoke about his sensations from the bite, comparing them to a hot nail that was driven into his leg. The bite of a giant hornet should be especially feared by those people who are allergic to wasp and bee venom - for them it is deadly. The venom of the Asian giant hornet contains high concentration an incredibly toxic substance - mandorotoxin, a large amount of which can kill and, it would seem, healthy person who is not allergic to bee venom.

Thus, stings from a large number of Asian giant hornets or multiple stings from one individual can be fatal to a healthy person. In addition to mandorotoxin, the venom of this hornet also contains other toxic substances that have destructive effects on tissue human body, causing severe pain, and worst of all, attracting other hornets. Acetylcholine is responsible for the ability to attract other individuals, 5% of which is contained in the venom of the Asian giant hornet. Like a wasp, the Asian giant hornet can use its sting multiple times. But during the hunt the Asian huge hornet uses its jaws, which are well developed and quite large. Having grabbed prey with its jaws, it crushes its victim with them.

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There is a huge amount in the world various types insects - bees, hornets, wasps and others. Some of them are not dangerous to humans, some, on the contrary, can be fatal, especially if a person is allergic to insect venom. Most insect species have a standard small size, but there are very large subspecies, for example, the Asian giant hornet.

The largest hornet in the world: description

The largest on this moment The hornet in the world is Asian, official name- hornet Vespa Mandarinia. This is an insect whose attack can be fatal to a person with an allergy to the poison or have serious consequences. They can live in regions of China, Japan, India and Nepal. They are also found in Russia, the main habitat here is the areas bordering China - Vladivostok and its environs. On the Chinese island of Taiwan this insect called the "tiger bee", and in various Japanese regions as the royal hornet.

Asian hornet

The size of the huge hornet impresses tourists visiting the regions where these giants live. Asia is rich in various insects, but these are definitely the largest. The sizes can be really impressive:

the length usually does not exceed 1 cm, but some individuals grow up to 5 cm in length;
The wingspan is on average about 3 cm, and in particularly large specimens it is up to 7 cm or more;
The length of the sting is on average 6 mm, which makes it easy to pierce the skin of a person or animal.

After stinging, the sting remains with them and can be used repeatedly. In this way, the giant hornet is very similar to an ordinary wasp. They live in nests that they themselves create from chewed particles of paper, tree bark and other materials. The home is ruled by the female, who is often its founder. At the beginning of the season, she lays eggs, from which offspring then appear that live in this nest.

Important! Asian hornets, except for Primorye, are not found in the CIS countries, so you should beware of them when visiting Asian countries.

For a healthy person who does not suffer from allergies, these species are practically not dangerous, but if attacked by a group they can lead to fatal outcome. In the regions where they live, attacks on rural residents are very common. After being stung, large swelling forms, the area instantly turns red and there is terrible pain. The Japanese scientist M. Ono once described the attack of the Asian hornet very meaningfully, saying that he felt as if a nail that was hot to the limit had been hammered into the affected area. There are cases where people who were not allergic to insects died from stings, since their venom is very complex chemical composition. It is noteworthy that this species extremely rarely uses its sting; most often, thanks to its developed jaws, they simply tear out a piece of skin.

After stinging, the sting remains with them

The life cycle of these remarkable hornets usually consists of the following stages:

at the moment when the nest reaches large sizes, the queen begins to actively lay eggs, from which offspring appear - the so-called working hands of the nest;
after some time, the offspring begin to reproduce among themselves, after which the males die;
when heavy rains begin in Asia, the nest declines and completely dies out.

In general, the life period is about one year. Often this species does not have time to survive to natural death; they die from various viruses and tick attacks.

Many people are terrified of large hornets, especially Asian ones. However, in fact, this species is not aggressive and practically does not attack first. Great amount cases of attack most often occurred due to the fault of the person himself, who was close to the nest, or by individual individuals. Hornets generally attack by perceiving the presence of strangers as a threat and act defensively.

Important! Great harm These insects are a nuisance to beekeepers as they often attack bees and their habitats.

However, their great benefits have been scientifically proven, since they destroy harmful insects and mosquitoes. Their poison is added to some medicines, as it is believed that it improves immunity.

What are giant murder hornets?

The largest hornet in the world is the Asian one

Giant murder hornets are members of the common genus Vespa. The largest hornet in the world is the Asian one, as well as its tiger counterpart. Some individuals of these species grow to enormous sizes, so they are often compared to sparrows or small animals. Rod Vespa with Latin language translated as “wasp”, which is useful for forests, gardens and vegetable gardens because it feeds on harmful insects and mosquitoes. Their benefits have been scientifically proven for a long time; in some countries they are protected by environmentalists.

Unlike ordinary wasps, giant hornets hurt more: the affected area hurts terribly and swelling occurs. They also differ in that at the moment of threat to a nest or group, insects mobilize and attack immediately in a whole swarm. There are known fatal cases when people were bitten by several individuals at the same time. When the nest is threatened, they can release a special Chemical substance, which serves as a danger signal for the inhabitants.

For your information! At the moment, about 20 different species of murder hornets are known, but mostly they all live in Asian countries.

Tiger hornet: what it is and what it looks like

This subspecies is found in Japan and Taiwan and is also included in the genus Vespa. It is practically no different from its counterparts that live in other parts of Asia, except that they sometimes have a striped coloring closer to the sting. Due to this, they look very similar to wasps.

Tiger hornet

The largest bumblebee in the world

Bumblebees are part of the bee genus and are one of the closest species to ordinary honey bees. The largest are the Asian ones, which are often called killer bumblebees or tiger bees due to their tiger-like coloring.

These insects are usually quite large in size:

the body is about 30 mm long in females and 26 mm in males;
the width is about 15 mm;
The wingspan can reach 50 mm in the largest individuals.

Note! Giant killer bumblebees most often live in forests, groves and agricultural lands, since in this area it is more convenient for them to build nests, which are usually located in the crowns of trees. Bumblebees are dangerous, and their poison is quite strong. After being stung, a person can easily end up in the hospital.

Giant bumblebee, or tiger bumblebee, is a name most often found in Japan or China. Despite the development of medicine and the creation of new drugs, a relatively large number of people still die from attacks by representatives of this species, numbering in the hundreds all over the world. The bumblebee is a more aggressive insect, and there are cases when it attacked first. He's doing well developed jaws, so it can not only sting, but also bite painfully. Bites, by the way, hurt the most. However, for residents of Russia and other CIS countries there is no reason to fear, since this class does not occur here. You should only be careful if you are planning a trip to Asian countries.

Giant killer bumblebees most often live in forests, groves and farmland

Important! The giant bumblebee has a relatively small wingspan, making it appear that this insect is unable to fly normally. This disadvantage is compensated by more frequent strokes, sometimes the frequency can reach more than 400 per second, which is almost impossible to notice with the naked eye.

This class of insects feeds on the sap of trees and plants, as well as the nectar of flowers. The sting remains with the bumblebee after the attack, and therefore it has the ability to use it repeatedly. During the attack, he injects a small amount of poison. Particularly dangerous can be cases where it gets into a vein or vessel. Then the poison acts on the body faster. This shows up more severe pain and swelling. An affected person with an allergy needs immediate medical attention.

Giant bumblebees and hornets are insects of enormous size for their species. They are poisonous and can cause severe harm. Despite this, they rarely attack on their own, most often in order to protect their habitat. This is worth considering when planning a trip to Asian countries. In Russia they are rare, but still, whoever is warned is protected!

Entomologists agree that giant hornets can rightfully be called the most dangerous insects in the world. The toxin of this insect, injected into the blood, is so strong that a person’s death can occur from one bite. In addition, the Asian and Japanese hornets cause enormous damage to beekeeping farms, destroying entire bee families in just a few hours.

Appearance

In appearance, the hornet resembles a huge wasp. Its length can reach 5 cm, and its wingspan can be up to 7.5 cm. The body is yellow in color with black transverse stripes characteristic of all wasps. The base of the abdomen is brown, the cephalothorax is black, and the head is yellow.

Most big hornet in the world to which the Asian subspecies belongs, it has on its head, in addition to the main two eyes, three additional ones, located in the lower part of the forehead in the form of an inverted triangle.

Weapon of attack

The predator infects its prey with poison, injected with a sting that can be used repeatedly. The composition of this complex substance includes:

Mandorotoxin, a neurotoxin that can block nervous system humans and animals.
Histamine, which causes severe swelling and allergies, often leading to death.
Toxic substances that melt tissue, causing unbearable pain to the victim.
Acetylcholine - serves to attract other hornets. Therefore, the bitten victim becomes a bait for other individuals of this dangerous insect.

Immediately after a bite, a person develops inflammation, covering a large area around the affected area, hyperemia, swelling and hardening of tissues. Soon rises general temperature body, the lymph nodes become enlarged, the pain continues to constantly increase, shortness of breath appears, headache, heart rate increases.

In people prone to manifestation allergic reactions, within a few minutes after the bite, asphyxia can develop, leading to death. In this case, only very quick hospitalization can save you.

Development cycle

Most hornets live in forests near open water bodies. Waking up from hibernation in May, the queen begins to gnaw the bark of trees, which, after chewing, turns into a mass resembling parchment paper. From it, the insect builds a hive, which can hang freely on a tree in the form of a giant pear-shaped fruit or be hidden in caves, hollows or the ground.

After construction is completed, the female lays eggs in honeycombs, the number of which can reach 500 pieces, and seals them tightly. Larvae develop from eggs in 5 to 8 days, held in the cell by a sticky secretion. Then they begin to scratch the walls, signaling hunger. Adults feed them with killed insects, having previously digested them in their mouths.

Thanks to metamorphosis, within 2 weeks the larvae develop into full-fledged working females and drones, which continue to complete the nest while the queen lays eggs.

By the beginning of the first cold weather, the queen, working hornets and drones die. Only fertilized females remain and hibernate, only to give birth to thousands of new individuals in the spring.

Features of hunting

At first glance, it may seem that the Asian hornet and representatives of its subspecies are insatiable, cold-blooded killers. But, in fairness, it is worth clarifying that they obtain the bulk of food for their offspring. And since there are thousands of larvae in the hive, a lot of food is needed.

Throughout the day, scout hornets search for a source of food. Having found a nest of bees, they mark it with a special substance containing pheromones, to which other hornets flock. These aggressive insects are capable of destroying a bee colony of 30,000 individuals at a time. As trophies, the killers take honey, the corpses of bees, their larvae and pupae.

Bees cannot resist a group of giant hornets, but they sometimes succeed in destroying a scout giving a signal. By this they can save themselves and their offspring from attack.

Noticing the approach of the enemy, war bees transmit information about the danger to the others. Several kamikaze individuals sacrifice themselves, luring the hornet into the hive. There, other bees surround him in a tight ring and begin to quickly vibrate their bellies, thereby increasing the air temperature to 50°C, which is destructive for the hornets. This happens for twenty minutes, during which some defenders die, but others immediately take their place in order to prevent the still living predator from breaking through the defense.

For individual insects, things are more tragic. The predator attacks with lightning speed and injects poison, after which it chews the body of its prey with a pair of powerful jaws. For example, the Asian giant hornet can decapitate a praying mantis with just one bite.

Rules of conduct near nests

The Asian giant hornet is not a solitary predator, but lives in colonies. Sensing a threat, it begins to secrete a hormone that notifies other individuals of the danger and gives a signal to attack.

Therefore, while near the hive, you cannot:

make sudden movements,
knock on trees
disturb the nest itself,
panic and try to escape.

It is very dangerous to kill a hornet near its home, since during the death the insect manages to transmit an alarm signal, which provokes members of its family to aggression. All this can provoke an attack by hornets and lead to quite sad consequences.

A respectful attitude towards other inhabitants of our planet will help maintain balance in nature and prevent an attack by a dangerous predator.

Among all Asian insects, the Vespa Mandarinia hornet is one of the most famous. This is not surprising, if only because huge size make it extremely noticeable: a huge wasp with a body length of 5 cm and a wingspan of up to 6-7 cm somehow naturally attracts the attention of a tourist or traveler. It is not for nothing that in Asian countries this insect is also called the sparrow bee - for its impressive size.

However, the Asian hornet has another popular name - it is called the tiger bee for its extremely painful stings. U local residents, in contrast to the enthusiastic reviews of tourists, the Vespa Mandarinia hornet has rather gained notoriety: its bite is deadly, especially for a person with hypersensitivity to insect poisons. If several giants attack at the same time, they can easily bite or cripple almost any person to death.

Among other things, the Asian giant hornet is a threat to all honey bees, so beekeepers in Thailand, India and Japan regularly suffer serious losses from invasions of these predators.

The Vespa Mandarin hornet is one of 23 species of the hornet genus, which also includes common European relatives. The size of this insect is just a simple anatomical adaptation to a hot climate (larger animals can more easily tolerate high temperatures, because they have a large surface area for heat transfer to environment). In addition, due to its size, this giant can count on a large number of potential victims, even those comparable in size to it. Otherwise, the huge Asian hornet is very similar to its other relatives.

As for Russians, we are mainly interested in the Vespa Mandarinia hornet as one of the dangers that can lie in wait when traveling through the exotic Asian region. Therefore, information about what the giant Asian hornet looks like, as well as how to avoid its bites, will never be superfluous.

Asian murder hornets are generally similar in body shape and general color tones to ordinary hornets: they are also yellow with black stripes. However, individual color details still distinguish them from each other.

So, if the Vespa Crabro hornet, better known as the common European hornet, has fairly thin black bands on its yellow body and a dark red head, then the Vespa Mandarinia hornet is characterized by much thicker and more expressive black stripes on its body, as well as a yellow head.

Visually, it is the light-colored head with two big eyes attracts attention the most.

And yet the main one distinctive feature The giant hornet, which makes it possible to distinguish this insect from other relatives, is, of course, its size. With its spread wings it almost overlaps a person’s palm, so at the first meeting it seems not quite real, but as if made deliberately unnaturally large. Such sizes help the hornet primarily to obtain food that is inaccessible to smaller relatives.

The Asian giant hornet leads the same lifestyle as all other members of the Vespa genus.

Hornets live in paper nests made from chewed pieces of young tree bark, held together by sticky salivary secretions. Generates new family the founder female, who at the beginning of the warm season simply lays several eggs in the place where the nest will later grow.

At first, the female herself obtains food for the larvae, takes care of them and looks after them. However, already a month after laying the eggs, young hornets hatch from them, which, in turn, take on all the worries of feeding new larvae and protecting the family. The uterus greatly limits its role - it continues only to lay eggs until the end of its life.

The Vespa Mandarinia hornet is not picky in its diet: the basis of its diet is a variety of insects. The huge Asian hornet will also not mind eating meat or fish washed ashore, fruits and berries. Unlike adult individuals, the larvae are fed exclusively on animal food, however, this feature is also characteristic of all other hornets of the Vespa genus.

Hornets almost never use their poisonous sting to get food. They kill other insects powerful jaws, with which they literally crumble the chitinous coverings of their victims.

The largest hornet in the world is distributed quite widely: it is found throughout South-East Asia and reaches Russian Primorye, where it is quite common and numerous.

It is worth noting that the species Vespa Mandarinia in different points its range is divided into several subspecies. So, in Japan, for example, there lives a subspecies of the Japanese huge hornet, endemic only to island territories.

In general, hornets of this species are common in different biotopes, but most of all they prefer forests and various light groves. Thus, it will not be possible to meet the Asian hornet in high mountains, steppe and desert areas.

The Asian giant hornet is very poisonous: its poison is considered one of the most toxic among all insects in general. However, due to the fact that this huge predator does not inject the entire supply of poison into the wound when biting, in general, the bite of an Asian hornet is, although extremely painful, but for a healthy person with normally functioning immune system mortal danger has no idea.

Every year in Japan, about 40 people die from giant hornet bites. Thus, the hornets here set a kind of anti-record - no other wild animal can “boast” of such indicators.

Due to the presence of several protein toxins in the hornet's venom, its entry into soft tissues immediately activates cell lysis, which is accompanied by instant swelling and inflammation. The presence of histamine and acetylcholine in the poison - substances that ensure the occurrence of an immediate immune response and the transmission of neuromuscular reactions - causes a sharp pain effect, sometimes accompanied by a state of shock in the victim.

“After the hornet bite, I spent three weeks in the hospital. I had huge swelling all over my side and I couldn’t move my arm. The bite itself is simply monstrous - as if a drill is being drilled into the body with an ordinary drill. When the insect bit me, I barely managed to get home and lost consciousness. My wife already called the doctors. And one of my friends died a year ago from a hornet attack.”

Tai Won Xing, Girin

A quite typical response of the body to a hornet sting is considered to be extensive tissue swelling, which was already mentioned above, increased heart rate, headaches and fever.

However, in people sensitive to insect toxins, even one giant hornet sting can cause anaphylactic shock and death. If there were numerous bites, then in this case, even for a healthy person, the attack is fraught with tissue necrosis, extensive hemorrhages and damage internal organs.

Reproduction of giant hornets

Now let's look at how procreation occurs in the Vespa Mandarinia hornet. There are several key points to highlight here.

The giant hornet family exists for no more than one year.
When the housing of these huge wasps grows to a decent size, and there are quite a lot of working individuals themselves, the queen begins to lay eggs, from which males and females capable of reproduction hatch.
At a certain point, these mature individuals swarm and mate, after which the young males die, and the females look for secluded shelters and remain in them until spring.
For the rainy season (and in the Primorye region for winter) old family completely dies out because the queen stops laying new eggs.

It is worth noting that sometimes all Vespa hornets do not survive to the time of natural death, since they die from ticks or infections.

A disaster for humans or an adornment of nature?

In a global sense, giant Asian hornets are, of course, dangerous to people, but this danger is not critical, since it is entirely provoked by man himself. These insects are not very aggressive by nature; they will only attack in self-defense or protecting a nest.

Among all Asian insects, the Vespa Mandarinia hornet is one of the most famous. This is not surprising, if only because its enormous size makes it extremely noticeable: a huge wasp with a body length of 5 cm and a wingspan of up to 6-7 cm somehow naturally attracts the attention of a tourist or traveler. It is not for nothing that in Asian countries this insect is also called the sparrow bee - for its impressive size.

However, the Asian hornet has another popular name - it is called the tiger bee for its extremely painful stings. Among local residents, in contrast to the enthusiastic reviews of tourists, the Vespa Mandarinia hornet has rather gained a bad reputation: its bite is deadly, especially for a person with hypersensitivity to insect poisons. If several giants attack at the same time, they can easily bite or cripple almost any person to death.

Among other things, the Asian giant hornet is a threat to all honey bees, so beekeepers in Thailand, India and Japan regularly suffer serious losses from invasions of these predators.

The Vespa Mandarin hornet is one of 23 species of the hornet genus, which also includes common European relatives. The size of this insect is just a simple anatomical adaptation to a hot climate (larger animals tolerate high temperatures more easily because they have a larger surface area for releasing heat into the environment). In addition, due to its size, this giant can count on a large number of potential victims, even those comparable in size to it. Otherwise, the huge Asian hornet is very similar to its other relatives.

Visually, it is the light-colored head with two large eyes that most attracts attention.

And yet, the main distinguishing feature of the giant hornet, which makes it possible to distinguish this insect from other relatives, is, of course, its size. With its spread wings it almost overlaps a person’s palm, so at the first meeting it seems not quite real, but as if made deliberately unnaturally large. Such sizes help the hornet primarily to obtain food that is inaccessible to smaller relatives.

The Asian giant hornet leads the same lifestyle as all other members of the Vespa genus.

Hornets live in paper nests made from chewed pieces of young tree bark, held together by sticky salivary secretions. A new family is started by the founding female, who at the beginning of the warm season simply lays several eggs in the place where the nest will later grow.

Hornets almost never use their poisonous sting to get food. They kill other insects with powerful jaws, which literally crush the chitinous coverings of their victims.

The largest hornet in the world is distributed quite widely: it is found throughout Southeast Asia and reaches Russian Primorye, where it is quite common and numerous.

It is worth noting that the species Vespa Mandarinia is divided into several subspecies at different points in its range. So, in Japan, for example, there lives a subspecies of the Japanese huge hornet, endemic only to island territories.

The Asian giant hornet is very poisonous: its poison is considered one of the most toxic among all insects in general. However, due to the fact that this huge predator does not inject the entire supply of poison into the wound when biting, in general, the bite of an Asian hornet is, although extremely painful, but does not pose a mortal danger to a healthy person with a normally functioning immune system.

Every year in Japan, about 40 people die from giant hornet bites. Thus, the hornets here set a kind of anti-record - no other wild animal can “boast” of such indicators.

Tai Won Xing, Girin

A quite typical response of the body to a hornet sting is considered to be extensive tissue swelling, which was already mentioned above, increased heart rate, headaches and fever.

Reproduction of giant hornets

Now let's look at how procreation occurs in the Vespa Mandarinia hornet. There are several key points to highlight here.

The giant hornet family exists for no more than one year.
When the housing of these huge wasps grows to a decent size, and there are quite a lot of working individuals themselves, the queen begins to lay eggs, from which males and females capable of reproduction hatch.
At a certain point, these mature individuals swarm and mate, after which the young males die, and the females look for secluded shelters and remain in them until spring.
By the rainy season (and in the Primorye region - by winter), the old family completely dies out, since the queen stops laying new eggs.
It is worth noting that sometimes all Vespa hornets do not survive to the time of natural death, since they die from ticks or infections.

A disaster for humans or an adornment of nature?

Hornets cause much more damage to apiaries, especially those where less aggressive European honey bees are bred. Sometimes hornets manage to destroy an entire bee family in a few hours, and therefore local beekeepers wage an ongoing systematic fight against them.

In general, the mortality rate from giant hornet bites is quite high: in some regions, up to 100 people die per year. But in fairness it should be said that most of dead - the same beekeepers who, without special means defenses actively destroy hornet nests and, as a result, fall under their massive attacks.

A simple tourist who accidentally finds himself in the forest next to the Vespa Mandarinia hornet should not be afraid of this insect - it will not attack without a reason.

Several dozen hornets completely destroyed a bee hive

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