Giant Hornets Take on Honey Bees

During spring, when all the lovely flower bloom, you can also expect to see a lot of flying friendly insects like bees. They’re a big help when it comes to pollinating flowers and they play a vital part in any Eco-system. Not a lot of other insects are aggressive when it comes to bees, but one certain specie really takes their aggression on them to a different level.

The Japanese giant hornet, an Asian giant hornet subspecies that’s native to Japan, is one of the biggest hornet species around. They can reach up to 2 inches when fully grown and have stingers that can grow to about a quarter-inch long. They’re also fast, reaching a flying speed of 25 mph. what makes these hornets even more dangerous and scary is that they can inject venom which is so strong that I can dissolve human flesh and damage our nervous system. People in japan tend to keep away from these hornets, but unfortunately, they’re drawn to honey bees which some of the locals keep.

They commonly take on a hive of European honey bees, no matter how outnumbered they are. Japanese farmers have taken care of European honey bee hives and harvest their honey, but these giant hornets have become a threat to the bees and to the community as well. When a hornet discovers a honey bee hive, it them marks it with a certain pheromones, signaling other hornets to approach the hive. The team of hornets then attacks the bees by biting their heads off, then take the honey for themselves.