Wasps and hornets are pests. However a wasp two inches long is downright dangerous. This article will describe this amazing insect along with its habitat.
The Asian Giant Hornet, is the world’s largest wasp. Its scientific name is Vespa mandarinia, and it inhabits temperate and tropical areas of Eastern Asia. These would include Korea, China, Taiwan, Indochina, Nepal, India, Sri Lanka and primarily the Japanese mountains. Its body length ranges between one to a little over 2 inches for queens. It possesses a sting a quarter of an inch long. It’s extremely aggressive and hunts other insects, especially bees. It is not to be confused with the Asian hornet in France, Vespa velutina, which is less harmful to man.
Morphology
The wasp is multi-colored. Its head is orange, its large mandibles are black, its eyes and legs are brown and its thorax or body has a golden hue. The stinger, as mentioned, is a quarter inch or 6 millimeters long and contains a very potent venom. The stinger is barbless allowing it to sting multiple times
A venomous tail
Their poison has two main components. One of these poisons consists of a cytolytic peptide that, when injected, can cause tissue degeneration. It is similar in composition to that of other wasps and hornets. The second component is a neurotoxin, called mandaratoxin, which in large doses can affect the breathing of humans and cause death. Most fatalities are due to allergic reactions, however, death can occur in those individuals that are light in weight, such as children. Further breakdown of these poisons yield some interesting facts. Eight chemicals have been detected in its venom, each with a purpose. One causes tissue damage, another contains a high concentration of ACH, a well-known pain stimulant, making the sting even more painful than other wasps. It also possesses a chemical that attracts more hornets to the victim.
Dinnertime
Asian hornets eat other insects. They love to gorge themselves on bees, preying mantises and other wasps and hornets. One particular interesting characteristic of this hornet is its ability to wipe out a bee colony in a matter of hours. They use their powerful mandible to tear their victims apart and do not use their stingers for this purpose. Wikipedia, states that one hornet can kill forty bees per minute and a colony of over thirty thousand bees can be eliminated within a few hours. Bees are preferred, because the wasps want the honeybee larvae to feed to their own larvae. They chew the larvae into a paste and feed them directly to their young.
To bee or not to bee
Japanese honeybees have learned how to defend themselves as well. Their stingers are too small to be effective, so they have come up with some rather cunning and ingenuous ways for defending their colonies. They are the only honeybee species to use this unique defense. The Japanese bees detect the pheromones or scents, that these hornets send out as hunting signals to other Giant hornets. The bees, amass around the entrance and allow the hornet to enter inside. Once in, they mob the hornet completely, smothering it. They quickly begin to vibrate their flight muscles, effectively raising the temperature around the hornet. Wikipedia states that the temperature achieved is approximately one hundred seventeen degrees Fahrenheit. Bees can survive this temperature, but the hornet can’t. They can only survive up to a maximum of one hundred and thirteen degrees Fahrenheit. Although many bees do die in this process, they have come up with an interesting form of defense.
The Asian Giant Hornet has no known predators. The only danger is from man himself. The Japanese, especially those who live in the mountains, eat the wasps as part of their diet. They deep fry them or eat them sashimi-style. One can only imagine that shopping for these delicacies can be a rather painful experience! The best advice is to stay as far away from them, as much as possible. If bothered or disturbed, their savagery and potent venom can create the potential for serious injury.
