NationStates Jolt Archive

Well, check this out. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_hornet)

This thing sounds like f*cking superman, in insect form, of course.

A few highlights;
Its body length is between 27 mm (1.1 inches) and 45 mm (1.8 inches), with a wingspan of about 76 mm (3 inches)

The stinger is about a quarter-inch (6 mm) in length, and injects an especially potent venom that contains an enzyme so strong that it can dissolve human tissue.

The Asian giant hornet is a relentless hunter that preys on other large insects such as bees, other hornet species, and praying mantises.

The hornets often attack honeybee hives with the goal of obtaining the honeybee larvae. The hornets can devastate a colony of honeybees: a single hornet can kill as many as 40 honeybees per minute

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These things EAT praying mantis' and bees. They attack beehives in groups of 30 or so, and kill most of the bees.
Almost as bad as those 'bullet ants' in South America (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bullet_Ant).

Scary stuff, and I thought cicadas were bad :P

i love insects!

I so read this as 'You think YOU have incest problems?' And was massively intruiged.

Now I'm A) Amused and 2) Scared of the bug. :(

Woah, it'd suck to get stung by one of those suckers. Lights out for you definitely. Fearing the hornet. :eek:

i love insects!
Even ones that can dissolve human flesh?

I so read this as 'You think YOU have incest problems?' And was massively intruiged.

Now I'm A) Amused and 2) Scared of the bug. :(

So did I.

Know what's great? There're bugs just as nasty, and some worse. :)

Its body length is between 27 mm (1.1 inches) and 45 mm (1.8 inches), with a wingspan of about 76 mm (3 inches)

I killed a wasp that big right here in Texas, today. Admittedly, its was freakishly huge.

The stinger is about a quarter-inch (6 mm) in length, and injects an especially potent venom that contains an enzyme so strong that it can dissolve human tissue.


Brown recluse venom will do the same thing.

The Asian giant hornet is a relentless hunter that preys on other large insects such as bees, other hornet species, and praying mantises

Those sanctimonious praying mantises had it coming.

The hornets often attack honeybee hives with the goal of obtaining the honeybee larvae. The hornets can devastate a colony of honeybees: a single hornet can kill as many as 40 honeybees per minute

Yeah, and they don’t sting them. They shred the bees with their jaws alone.

Scary stuff, and I thought cicadas were bad :P

They still have the award for most annoying insect on the planet.

I think I read somewhere that some people actually raise European Hornets (I don't know if they're the same species as these scary freaks) for pest control in their gardens. If so, then I do not want to go to the house of these insane folks.

Brown recluse venom will do the same thing.

What, the necrosis thing? That's actually caused by a nasty species of bacteria that tends to live on the spiders' fangs. Weird...

Those sanctimonious praying mantises had it coming.

Hey! I like praying mantisi... mantises! They's the neat!

Say, wouldn't a gun that shot these hornets instead of bullets be just the best invention ever?

I think I read somewhere that some people actually raise European Hornets (I don't know if they're the same species as these scary freaks) for pest control in their gardens. If so, then I do not want to go to the house of these insane folks.
Well, you wouldnt have to worry about Jehovas Witnesses and such...

i think one of those idiots with their own animal planet show went messing with these

Well, you wouldnt have to worry about Jehovas Witnesses and such...

But I feel sorry for the mailmen who don't have a streetside mailbox. Hell, I feel sorry for the Parcel Delivery guys.

Oddly enough, these guys don't seem to be interested in humans that much. The damn Yellow Jackets back home were more agressive than these big ones (though I admit the first time I saw one fly into the room it 'twas a wee bit frighting).

I guess I don't look enough like a honey bee to interest them.

That is AWESOME! I can never understand people who flip out at the sight of a Hornet,Wasp or Bee. The more you freak, the more likely they are to sting you. Hornets and Wasps rate up there with Dragonflies and Butterflies as the most beautiful insects around.

Oddly enough, these guys don't seem to be interested in humans that much. The damn Yellow Jackets back home were more agressive than these big ones (though I admit the first time I saw one fly into the room it 'twas a wee bit frighting).

I guess I don't look enough like a honey bee to interest them.

Oh no, these are very vicious fuckers.

On the old Ripley's Believe It or Not (with Jack Palance) there was a piece on them which explained that a wild nest had killed a man in Northern Japan and that these fuckers were starting to nest in Japanese settlements in that region. One photo image I won't forget is a guy walking out the front door of a sushi bar where a watermelon-sized nest was hanging nearby.

They sting *and* bite, and they're so pissy they're reported to chase people as far as up to a mile or more.

Brown recluse venom will do the same thing.
I know that one first hand... and have a pit in the back of my calf to prove it. :eek:

And talking about the bullet ant: I'm not sure what they're called, but in Texas, we had these big, long black ants with white markings. My grandfather always called them "Wood Ants". I was stung by one once when I was a kid and I'd have to say that it runs a close second to the Bullet Ant's sting on the Pain Index.

Holy HELL that hurt...worse than a rattlesnake bite! (I've been bitten by rattlesnakes 3 times.)

Oh no, these are very vicious fuckers.

They sting *and* bite, and they're so pissy they're reported to chase people as far as up to a mile or more.
Huh... the only thing I've noticed about them is that they can cause a class of 7th graders to disolve into screaming fits if they fly into the room. Of course butterflies cn have the same effect (young Japanese kids just like to scream).

Said hornet then just usually spends the next half an hour mindlessly banging against the window till I wander over there and let it out, but I haven't seen them go after someone like a yellow jacket would.

Huh... the only thing I've noticed about them is that they can cause a class of 7th graders to disolve into screaming fits if they fly into the room. Of course butterflies cn have the same effect (young Japanese kids just like to scream).

Said hornet then just usually spends the next half an hour mindlessly banging against the window till I wander over there and let it out, but I haven't seen them go after someone like a yellow jacket would.
I imagine lots of kids would dissiolve into screams if a two inch long stining insect buzzing like a helicopter flew into the same room as them...

Anyway, the case in Japan was a guy with a weedeater. Weedeaters make loud low frequency noises. Like bees, wasps and all that. Thus guy is swarmed by giant wasps :P

Huh... the only thing I've noticed about them is that they can cause a class of 7th graders to disolve into screaming fits if they fly into the room. Of course butterflies cn have the same effect (young Japanese kids just like to scream).

All kids like to scream. I can recall kids panicking when a tiny lizard ran into the room, in Florida, the capital of tiny lizards.

I know that one first hand... and have a pit in the back of my calf to prove it. :eek:

And talking about the bullet ant: I'm not sure what they're called, but in Texas, we had these big, long black ants with white markings. My grandfather always called them "Wood Ants". I was stung by one once when I was a kid and I'd have to say that it runs a close second to the Bullet Ant's sting on the Pain Index.

Holy HELL that hurt...worse than a rattlesnake bite! (I've been bitten by rattlesnakes 3 times.)


I have no use for any of these- I spray my yard and foundation on a regular basis. We dont have many aggressive insects like that here- my main concerns with a wife and kids are the recluse spiders, mosquitos with west nile virus and ticks with Lyme's disease. The pest/annoying insect population is pretty low on my property. I regularly check my house & property for bees/wasps & hornets nests as my wife is allergic to the stings.

Here's a link to the 'super' hornets doing war on honeybees.
http://www.abum.com/?show_media=8561&file_type=Movies&file_id=killers.wmv