{"id":27,"date":"2014-12-31T11:19:33","date_gmt":"2014-12-31T11:19:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/termirepel.com\/blog\/?p=27"},"modified":"2015-01-27T12:09:42","modified_gmt":"2015-01-27T12:09:42","slug":"the-asian-giant-hornet-a-threat-to-honey-bees","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.termirepel.com\/blog\/the-asian-giant-hornet-a-threat-to-honey-bees\/","title":{"rendered":"The Asian Giant Hornet- A threat to honey bees\u2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ever heard of the phrase \u201cto stir up a hornet\u2019s nest\u201d??<\/p>\n

Usually used to denote an action leading to undesirable and grave consequences the phrase stands true to itself. Indeed the hornets are scary and dangerous creatures and you sure don\u2019t want to stir up their nest!!<\/p>\n

\"download<\/a>The Asian Giant Hornets <\/strong>are the larger breed of wasps that are eusocial in nature much similar to bees, ants and termites.\u00a0There are plenty of varieties of hornets, and some of them are known for their venomous stings. The most feared among them is the\u00a0deadly Asian\u00a0giant hornet which has the most venomous sting of all insects. This species is native of the tropics and can be found in numbers especially in eastern Asia. The\u00a0Asian giant hornet\u00a0– Vespa mandarinia<\/em> is the world’s largest\u00a0hornet<\/a>, native to temperate and tropical Eastern Asia. It can be found in some regions of Russia,\u00a0Korea<\/a>, Indochina<\/a>,\u00a0Nepal<\/a>,\u00a0India<\/a>, and\u00a0Sri Lanka<\/a>, but is most common in rural areas of\u00a0Japan<\/a>, where it is called\u00a0giant sparrow bee<\/strong>. These hornets are aggressive and fearless which spells doom for their victims!<\/p>\n

\"download<\/a>Their hierarchy is based on their ability to reproduce and hence is divided as the reproductive queens and sterile soldiers and workers. The average adult Asian hornet soldier or worker grows up to 4.5 cm and the queen about 5.5 cm in length. The wing span is about 76 mm and its 6 mm sting helps in injecting venom into the body of its prey. It has a wide head when compared to the other vespain species. The stinger of the Asian Giant Hornet is 1\/4 inch long and because it has no\u00a0barb<\/a>, the Asian Giant Hornet is able to sting its victims multiple times.<\/p>\n

The venom injected by the stinger is incredibly potent and contains eight different chemicals, each with a specific purpose. These range from tissue degeneration and breathing difficulties, to making the sting more painful and even attracting other hornets to the victim. Their venom contains a\u00a0neurotoxin<\/a>\u00a0called\u00a0mandaratoxin <\/strong>(MDTX),\u00a0a single-chain\u00a0polypeptide<\/a>\u00a0with a molecular weight of approximately 20,000\u00a0amu<\/a>,\u00a0which can be lethal even to people who are not allergic if the dose is sufficient. Being stung by one according to some accounts feels a lot like having a hot nail hammered into you!!<\/p>\n

The\u00a0Japanese giant hornet<\/strong>\u00a0(Vespa mandarinia japonica<\/em>) \"images<\/a>is a subspecies of the\u00a0Asian giant hornet<\/a>\u00a0(V. mandarinia<\/em>). It is a large insect and adults can be more than 4 cm (1.6\u00a0in) long, with a wingspan greater than 6 cm (2.4\u00a0in). It has a large yellow head with large eyes, and a dark brown thorax with an abdomen banded in brown and yellow.\u00a0\u00a0They are nicknamed as “Yak killers” <\/strong>precisely because they’re capable of doing it! The Japanese Asian Hornet is the ultimate killer insect of Japan, responsible for 20 to 40 human deaths each year<\/strong>. As was reported by Japan Today on 27th September, 2010<\/strong>; 8 policemen were attacked by these hornets in a park while they were on duty.<\/p>\n

The prime food of the Asian giant hornet is bees!! They love to feast on bees and other pollinators. The attack is carried out in a wonderful manner \u2013 two or three soldier hornets cautiously approach an identified nest while giving off pheromones.<\/strong> Pheromones attract the other hornets from the nest and together they attack the bee colony. Such synchronized attacks can completely devastate a honey bee colony as the bees stand no chance against these venomous creatures. Asian giant hornets in spite of being bee attackers never feed on them. Fact remains that they cannot digest solid protein. They never can feed on their prey \u2013 instead they attack large insects, chew on them and feed them to their larvae. The adult soldiers feed on an amino acid mixture that is secreted by the larvae. This clear liquid is the diet for these humongous hornets. Vespa Amino acid is strong in nutrients which help in keeping up the required nourishment for these large sized bugs. The saliva produced by the larvae of the Asian Giant Hornet is said to give them their renowned energy and stamina when consumed by the adult hornets on a regular basis. When chasing their\u00a0prey<\/a>, they have been reported travelling distances of up to 60 miles, at a top speed of 25 mph.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Interesting facts about these hornets:<\/p>\n