Scared of killer bees?
They’re mere wimps compared to this horror.
No, youre not looking at the worlds deadliest insect.
Credit: Alastair Macewen/Getty Images
That honor rightfully belongs to the mosquito.
But you might well be looking at the worldsscariestsix-legged beast.
They and their workers, who are somewhat smaller, come equipped with two fearsome weapons.
Among the giant hornets favorite dinnertime fares are honeybees.
A scout hornet will discover the location of a honeybee nest and report back to HQ.
Bee stings dont faze the marauders.
In minutes, hundreds of honeybees lay dead or dying.
A giant hornet doesnt limit its menu to bees, however.
It eats lots of other creatures, things you wouldnt expect it to attack.
I watched a video in which one of these giant hornets encountered a full-grown praying mantis in a tree.
Without hesitating, the hornet rushed the mantis and bit off its head.
A more recent video surfaced pitting the two insects in a rematch.
This time, the mantis won.
But if you look closely, the giant hornet apparently had been drugged to keep it from flying away.
The mantis seized it from behind as it groggily stumbled around.
This is cheating, mantis fans.
If the hornet hadnt been high, it might have employed its frightful, 14-inch long stinger.
It uses this to paralyze prey and also defend the nest.
This is usually dug into the ground with a single entry hole.
Stumbling upon one is very bad karma.
Angry hornets sting repeatedly, injecting a venom that is reportedly the most painful of any insect.
A giant hornet was pressed to his arm, stung him, and he screamed in absolute agony.
This guy should be handed a Darwin award.
One sting wont kill the average person unless theyre allergic, but it will hurt like bloody hell.
One can expect a necrotic lesion at the sting site.
People stung many times do die, however.
Japan suffers about 40 hornet-related deaths a year.
Are They In The South?
Now you understand how it got the nickname, murder hornet?
What if I revealed that you very well may be its next victim?Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!
It usually builds nests inside the hollows of trees, but sometimes decides on sheds and attics.
Unlike other hornets, European giant hornets are active at night and attracted to lights.
You may want to turn off that porch light from now on.
