And You Thought Bees Were Scary

I was poking around on the internet the other day, and stumbled on a description of an insect that was most intimidating. While that description was inaccurate (it involved spraying acid, which is kind of nonsensical), it turns out that the real deal is scary enough.

Aside from the fact that the Asian giant hornet has a sting which will cause the same allergic reaction as that of a bee's, attracts other giant hornets, and even has a neurotoxin whose buildup from multiple stings can be lethal, apparently the species is the sole reason why it's impossible for European honey bees to be imported to Asian countries: These monster hornets slaughter them by the thousand. (If you ever feel empathy for insects, as I do, you might find this video very uncomfortable to watch.)



And if you're wondering: That video features a group of probably no more than thirty giant hornets methodically and casually killing as many as thirty thousand bees.

They aren't invincible-the native bees have a defense against them-but they're darned scary bugs.

Not that there's anything wrong with that (though if you visit their range in Japan, watch out, because they kill something like seventy people a year there).

-Signing off.