Busy As A Bee, Murderous As A...Murder Hornet? | By Brandon Teng
Illustration by Rachel and Sammi.
Remember honey bees? Those hairy, yellow buggers that sting when threatened? All too often, swarms of these insects have been portrayed as some of the most intimidating forces of nature within popular media, usually for some good old slapstick comedy.
"Bees on a flower"
Photo by Muhammad Suhail Bin Muhammad Malik.
Turns out, bees are pretty important after all, as quoted by American bee researcher Samuel Emmett McGregor, “it appears that perhaps one-third of our total diet is dependent, directly or indirectly, upon insect-pollinated plants.” Also, honey is just great.
"A bee pollinating a flower"
Photo by Muhammad Suhail Bin Muhammad Malik.
So, why do you need to know about all this? Well, because there is something out there that’s killing them—anti-bee machines known as hornets, specifically, murder hornets.
It’s not often that you’d call an animal “evil”, but this would be one of those times. Officially known as the Asian Giant Hornet (a subspecies of wasps), scientifically known as the Vespa mandarinia, it’s the world’s largest hornet, growing up to 3.5 to 3.9 cm in body length, whereas a queen’s body length can exceed 5cm. Found in the eastern and southeastern parts of Asia, it is most commonly discovered in Japan where it has been well-studied. Its nickname similarly originated there, where some popular media outlets in Japan referred to the hornet as satsujin suzumebachi (murder hornet) by 2008.
"A Murder Hornet"
Photo by Bob Brewer from Unsplash.
While hornets and wasps have been known to have certain infamous traits, such as parasitoid wasps that lay eggs into other insects for sustenance, none have been as harmful as the murder hornets. Their mandibles are large enough to chew through skin and their stings are known to inject a potent venom, which in multiple doses can kill humans. In some cases, they happen to spray the venom directly instead. Not only that, the stinger itself is enough to pierce through standard beekeeping suits! In Japan, they have been known to kill 30 to 50 people each year.
Nonetheless, their biggest impact comes economically and ecologically. As just one of these hornets can kill up to 40 honeybees per minute, an entire colony can be slaughtered by just a few of them within as little as 90 minutes. The hornet’s exoskeleton is also too tough to be pierced by honey bee-stingers. Surprisingly enough, they’re the only eusocial (socially organised) wasp species to initiate attacks on other colonies.
"A cicada attacked by a murder hornet"
Photo by Benoit Gauzere from Unsplash.
So how do they do it? Once a hornet scout discovers a beehive, it marks it with an attack pheromone, inviting a good amount of the colony to kill their prey. They use their mandibles to decapitate, yes, I said decapitate their poor victims. The bodies are then brought back to feed themselves and their offspring, along with any larvae or pupae belonging to the honeybees. While the decapitation does seem unnecessarily gruesome, University of Tennessee entomologist Jennifer Tsuruda has stated that the killing is for feeding purposes rather than anything else. Still, it’s not a good sign. In November 2019, 60,000 honeybees were killed by an Asian giant hornet attack in Washington, U.S. Originally native to Asia, it looks like the species is capable of becoming invasive if uncontrolled.
Interestingly, Japanese honey bees have evolved a method of defending against hornets. Their solution? Cook it alive. When they detect an arriving murder hornet, hundreds of them will surround the hornet in a ball, completely covering it. They then vibrate their flight muscles which raises the temperature in the ball to 46 °C which also raises the carbon dioxide concentration. The hornet becomes engulfed and subsequently killed, thus preventing it from summoning help.
Residents of Japan even hunt it as food! Considered as a traditional delicacy, the hornets may be steamed with rice, fried on skewers, or preserved in liquor. Each November, the cuisine is celebrated in the village of Kushihara at a festival known as the Kushihara Hebo Matsuri, where prizes are handed out for the largest hornet nests.
So hornets that sting and spray venom, with mandibles that kill honey bees exclusively through decapitation. There’s a lot to be said about the murder hornet, but not enough to cause too much panic. Just be sure to stay your distance, as they’re capable of flying up to 40km per hour, so escaping won’t be so easy. Also,report them to the Fire and Rescue Department if you happen upon any, as they’ve handled similar cases before. Our economy is bad enough as it is. If nothing else, it’s still an interesting topic to drop on your friends.
Interestingly, Japanese honey bees have evolved a method of defending against hornets. Their solution? Cook it alive. When they detect an arriving murder hornet, hundreds of them will surround the hornet in a ball, completely covering it. They then vibrate their flight muscles which raises the temperature in the ball to 46 °C which also raises the carbon dioxide concentration. The hornet becomes engulfed and subsequently killed, thus preventing it from summoning help.
Residents of Japan even hunt it as food! Considered as a traditional delicacy, the hornets may be steamed with rice, fried on skewers, or preserved in liquor. Each November, the cuisine is celebrated in the village of Kushihara at a festival known as the Kushihara Hebo Matsuri, where prizes are handed out for the largest hornet nests.
So hornets that sting and spray venom, with mandibles that kill honey bees exclusively through decapitation. There’s a lot to be said about the murder hornet, but not enough to cause too much panic. Just be sure to stay your distance, as they’re capable of flying up to 40km per hour, so escaping won’t be so easy. Also,report them to the Fire and Rescue Department if you happen upon any, as they’ve handled similar cases before. Our economy is bad enough as it is. If nothing else, it’s still an interesting topic to drop on your friends.
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