Giant Asian Hornet Threat to Bees

[Donovan J]

I awoke to new articles about a giant asian hornet spotted in my state, Washington. I read some more about it and found out that it can destroy honey bee colonies. Another thing to worry about. The sting from this bee can kill humans and has in China and Japan. I will be looking out for these massive 2 inch long bees.

[van from Arkansas]

Xerox, I have read about human deaths attributed to this wasp. The info I read always involved an individual that inadvertently stumble upon a nest, doing such chores as weed eating.

In my area we have the European hornet, a close resemblance to the Asian wasp with the difference being a red throax with the European wasp.  The European has a paper nest, like the more common bald face hornet.  The European wasp numbers less than a hundred but not so with the Asian that can number in the hundreds.

I have kill several of the European wasp in my apiary.  My experience is that when the European wasp find my apiary, they will visit every morning and evening taking my bees with each unwelcome visit.  My bees are helpless against such a huge predatory wasp.  I have yet to find their nest which resembles the football paper nest.  The Asians will build a ground nest and can number in the hundreds as mentioned earlier.

I do not believe my bee suit would afford me protection as these type of wasp have a heavily duty larger stinger compared to my honey bees.
Blessings

[van from Arkansas]

I have noticed one weakness to which I can exploit regarding the European wasp.  The wasp hover close to my hives so they can grab a honeybee in flight.  I can swat the hovering European wasp, knock it to the ground, them step on it.  I probably attain about 25 percent success swatting, the wasp are fast and if I miss the European wasp quickly fly away.  They do not attempt to chase me.  The Asian wasp, I just don?t know as I have never dealt with such, only the huge European wasp have I encountered.
Van

I use the word WASP, actually the word HORNET is better, correct; that is European Hornet.  I actually do not know the difference between wasp and hornet??  Anybody know this difference????

[van from Arkansas]

Note the red on the thorax.

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[van from Arkansas]

Xerox, do you are anyone else know the difference between a wasp, a hornet and a bee?  I just realize I do not know the actual difference????
Van

[Donovan J]

Xerox, do you are anyone else know the difference between a wasp, a hornet and a bee?  I just realize I do not know the actual difference????
Van

Bees pollinate and make their own food while hornets and wasps are carnivores and hunt for meat. I don't know the difference between hornets and wasps.

[The15thMember]

Xerox, do you are anyone else know the difference between a wasp, a hornet and a bee?  I just realize I do not know the actual difference????
Van

Bees pollinate and make their own food while hornets and wasps are carnivores and hunt for meat. I don't know the difference between hornets and wasps.

Xerox is correct.  Bees' source of protein is pollen, whereas wasps eat meat to get their protein.  Hornets are a type of wasp.  Anatomically they have a particularly shaped head and abdomen that identifies them as hornets, and they make their paper nests INSIDE a structure, like a hollow tree or something similar.  The only true hornet in the US is the European hornet.  (I believe the sighting in Washington is the first confirmed sighting of the Asian hornet in the US, but someone correct me if I'm wrong.)  Other wasps that we call "hornets", like the bald faced hornets are not true hornets.   

[Donovan J]

Xerox, do you are anyone else know the difference between a wasp, a hornet and a bee?  I just realize I do not know the actual difference????
Van

Bees pollinate and make their own food while hornets and wasps are carnivores and hunt for meat. I don't know the difference between hornets and wasps.

Xerox is correct.  Bees' source of protein is pollen, whereas wasps eat meat to get their protein.  Hornets are a type of wasp.  Anatomically they have a particularly shaped head and abdomen that identifies them as hornets, and they make their paper nests INSIDE a structure, like a hollow tree or something similar.  The only true hornet in the US is the European hornet.  (I believe the sighting in Washington is the first confirmed sighting of the Asian hornet in the US, but someone correct me if I'm wrong.)  Other wasps that we call "hornets", like the bald faced hornets are not true hornets.   

Yes it is the first sighting in the US. Hopefully it doesn't spread to other parts.

[van from Arkansas]

20 minute video of an actual Japanese Hornet sting,  the fella in the video travels the world to get stung and post the video.  This hornet is incredible, much more dangerous than I realized.  Compared in pain to the bullet ant of Brazil and the Texas giant centipede, arguably the most powerful painful stings in the world by an insect.

Note the fast huge swelling and screaming pain of shear agony.



https://youtu.be/i7VMcMJBjD4

I?ll check the link, does not look correct to me.  I will fix if needed.

[Donovan J]

20 minute video of an actual Japanese Hornet sting,  the fella in the video travels the world to get stung and post the video.  This hornet is incredible, much more dangerous than I realized.  Compared in pain to the bullet ant of Brazil and the Texas giant centipede, arguably the most powerful painful stings in the world by an insect.

Note the fast huge swelling and screaming pain of shear agony.



https://youtu.be/i7VMcMJBjD4

I?ll check the link, does not look correct to me.  I will fix if needed.

Some people describe the pain as a hot nail being driven into your body. Pretty scary

[BeeMaster2]

Xerox,
Washington state needs to do an all out search and destroy effort to kill all of these Hornets while their numbers are small. We do not want these predators spreading across the US.
Jim Altmiller

[Donovan J]

Xerox,
Washington state needs to do an all out search and destroy effort to kill all of these Hornets while their numbers are small. We do not want these predators spreading across the US.
Jim Altmiller

They are trying. They've already killed one colony on Vancouver Island

[Michael Bush]

Just what we need, another bee predator...

[MikeyN.C.]

Yes they should be eliminated if , that can happen.
BTW what was temp. ? at time hornet was seen ?

[Donovan J]

Yes they should be eliminated if , that can happen.
BTW what was temp. ? at time hornet was seen ?

I dont know exactly but it's been about 40-50 degrees around the time it was found.

[MikeyN.C.]

Are they ground hornets ?

[Donovan J]

Are they ground hornets ?

Yes

[van from Arkansas]

There are YouTube videos of these Asian hornets destroying an itialian hive.  Only takes 40-50 hornets to completely destroy an Italian hive numbering 20,000-30,000.  The hornets, with their huge jaws, easily remove the heads of honeybees, then feast on the honeybee brood.

The local honey bees of Japan have evolved a strategy to eliminate the Asian hornet scout.  The honeybees invite the hornet into the hive showing no resistance, then in a quick move the honeybees surround the Asian bee and ball the hornet killing the hornet with heat.  The honey bees ball the hornet, just like balling an undesirable queen bee and the honey bees use their wing muscles to generate heat thus killing the Asian scout.

To my knowledge, this strategy is only known to the Japanese honey bee.  The hornets are armor plated and impervious to honeybee stings, the only weak spot is heat generate by honey bees in a tight ball.

Happy Holidays
Van

[Donovan J]

There are YouTube videos of these Asian hornets destroying an itialian hive.  Only takes 40-50 hornets to completely destroy an Italian hive numbering 20,000-30,000.  The hornets, with their huge jaws, easily remove the heads of honeybees, then feast on the honeybee brood.

The local honey bees of Japan have evolved a strategy to eliminate the Asian hornet scout.  The honeybees invite the hornet into the hive showing no resistance, then in a quick move the honeybees surround the Asian bee and ball the hornet killing the hornet with heat.  The honey bees ball the hornet, just like balling an undesirable queen bee and the honey bees use their wing muscles to generate heat thus killing the Asian scout.

To my knowledge, this strategy is only known to the Japanese honey bee.  The hornets are armor plated and impervious to honeybee stings, the only weak spot is heat generate by honey bees in a tight ball.

Happy Holidays
Van

It's amazing that they can kill intruders with purely heat

[BeeMaster2]

The honey bees can generate 116 degrees F and survive but hornets are cooked at 114 degrees F.
Jim Altmiller