Giant hornets are the largest wasps in the world and anybody who has ever seen one can see how intimidating they are. Not only are they big, but they are also equipped with formidable stinger.
It is possible that the European hornet is not as bestial as it's counterparts on other continents and especially Asia. What I do know from personal experience is that even the European ones pack a punch. Back in 1998 when in Rreshen Albania, I was walking down the street with my then fiancee (not Mama_Rah) when she suddenly said to me in a remarkably deadpan way, "I've just been stung".
And sure enough she had a large puncture mark on the top of her hand and it quickly reddened and swelled up. We immediately went back to home base and other than saying she felt a bit dizzy she was fine in the end.
She is of course human and there was only one of them when it comes to bees they are nothing short of genocidal!
When a hornet discovers a bee hive / nest it marks it with a chemical compound, which it then uses to guide its nest mates. Then, a few dozen more hornets arrive at the beehive and all hell breaks loose.
You'd think that with thousands and thousands of bees, they'd have a chance of fighting back, but in most cases bees are overwhelmed and don't stand a chance.
Things quickly escalate and become unpleasant. Hornets are virtually immune to bee stings (although enough stings will weaken a giant hornet) and I remember seeing what I am about to describe on National Geographic and other than when Chimpanzees go to War it is probably the most brutal nature documentary I have ever seen - although Orca's playing with their food is up there too.
Upon arrival the hornets use their powerful mandibles quickly slice off the bees' heads and they literally tear them off like scissors through paper. The bees are completely overwhelmed as the hornets make quick work of them. At the rate they go to work they can literally kill 30 to 40 bees per minute and beheading is their favoured method. Once the bees' bodies are simply cast aside so the hornets can move on and eat the larvae and honey that are inside.
It's a massacre!
However - and again I saw this in the same documentary - there is one breed that has managed to counter this phenomenon. Asian honeybees will know when a hornet appears in their nest and they are more than prepared. They will deliberately let it approach without reacting. Then, as it starts marking laying down its scent the bees pounce.
They swarm around the hornet and then wrap themselves all around it.
The hornet eventually disappears under the swarm despite its attempts to escape. Then more bees join the mob and as one, the bees begin to vibrate. As they vibrate heat is generated and effectively the bees create an oven that heats up the mass inside.
The hornet pictured above is in the middle of this crowd.
The hornet's maximum temperature tolerance is 115°C, while honeybees can cope with temperatures up to 118°C.
Then they heat this central area to 116°, and keep it at this temperature (sometimes for hours). The hornet is effectively slow cooked and dies in the process. This prevents it from returning to its nest with directions, thus saving the Hive.
This remarkably precise teamwork allows them to maintain the temperature just below their upper limit and just above that of the hornets. The Asian honeybees have found the right solution.
And with that, and as always stay safe and well my friends.
