Asian Giant Hornet or Japanese Wasp: Meet the Real Killer Bee
Published by It is the world’s largest hornet at approximately two inches long, this specie is native to Eastern Asia. The Suzumebachi or “sparrow bee” are a ferocious wasp which using minimal numbers can destroy an entire honey bee hive in a matter of hours and plunder its bounty.
Japanese Honeybees Fight Back!
The Japanese Honeybee however has developed a defensive strategy. When the lone Asian Hornet scout approaches their hive, the Japanese Honeybees will lure the scout into the hive. Allowing it to enter, the honeybees that have gathered by the hundreds around the opening to the hive will swarm and engulf the scout, completely covering the bee and pinning it down. They prevent the Asian Wasp from escaping or signaling for help. They maintain this live blanket around the lone scout as it struggles to free itself, their collective body mass temperature rising to dangerous levels. This is their strategy. They can kill the intruder by heat.
Japanese honeybees can withstand slightly higher bodily temperatures than the Asian Hornet for short durations, but only by a matter of only a degree or two. The Asian Giant Wasp is doomed.
Swarming an Asian Sparrow Bee Wasp Scout, Death is Assured as the Collective Heat Increases
Image via Wikipedia
At around 115 degree Fahrenheit, the Giant Asian Wasp perishes from heat exhaustion. The Japanese honeybees can barely withstand temperatures just two degrees hotter. Some honeybee defenders die anyway from the battle, from being crushed in the mobbing or perhaps even by the stress of the heat that they collectively generate. The death of the lone Asian Giant Wasp has prevented its signaling for help and backup from additional members of its own kind. The location and security of the Japanese Honeybee hive remains safe for now.
Japanese Beekeepers have in recent years tried to introduce European honeybees locally for their increased productivity. This effort has failed repeatedly. The more productive and passive European honeybees lack any collective strategies against the Asian Giant Wasp and their colonies have always been ravaged and totally destroyed by the colossal native wasps.
I suppose it would be a fool’s folly to even consider using the Asian Giant Wasp as some sort of weapon against the Africanized Honeybees here in the Americas. That would be the last thing we need, -another threat to the already dwindling honeybee populations. I would vehemently oppose even the release of sterile Asian Giant Wasps for their efforts to eradicate Africanized Bee colonies. It was this kind of two dimensional thinking that introduced the Africanized bee in the first place, the so-called ‘Killer Bees.’ An effort to alter the natural world to our benefit, which in the case of Africanized bee, backfired in the worst possible way. It would be most unfortunate to have uncontrollable hives of these Godzilla-sized Killer Bees on the loose in a land whose bees are defenseless against them.
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On May 12, 2009 at 7:18 am
excellent!..thats really amaze me..nice and well written article about killer bees..must read..well done and thanks a lot for sharing
On May 12, 2009 at 7:42 am
Wow!! Great article and the video footage really rams home the ferocity of these giant insects! Excellent!
On May 12, 2009 at 3:48 pm
Amazing article…very impressive friend:)
On May 12, 2009 at 6:45 pm
Very interesting. I would not want to see one of them killers.
On May 12, 2009 at 8:00 pm
Excellent article!
On May 12, 2009 at 8:26 pm
Holy crap! That thing is a monster. That was a fascinating article. Never heard of these before.
On May 13, 2009 at 11:06 pm
I hope to never cross paths with one of these fellows.
On June 11, 2009 at 10:05 am
Interesting article. Several people tell me that we have these hornets around our home. We have a newly constructed log home and we are being told these hornets go for the “new wood” boring into them. Since all info states these are native to Eastern Asia can this be correct? If they aren’t the Japanses Hornet, what could they be?? We live in a rural area about 60 miles from Lynchburg, Virginia. Thanks
On July 24, 2009 at 6:44 am
very interestiny and informative
On July 24, 2009 at 11:15 am
Very informative and interesting article. We have what everyone calls “Japanese Hornets” around here and they are very aggressive bees. I am scared to death of those things.
On August 6, 2009 at 5:30 pm
We ll, they are here in North America, I have witnessed one chomping on a honey bee and wondered what the heck it was- hence my search.
On August 13, 2009 at 11:55 am
Yep, they’re in North America. A lot of entomologist wanna-be insect enthusiast say that they cannot survive in North America. Try telling that to the Giant Asian Hornets buzzing around Virginia. They certainly aren’t European Hornets on steroids. I witnessed one (with a 2.5 inch body) carrying a large cicada -scared me to death. I thought it was a humming bird!!
On August 17, 2009 at 3:57 pm
That’s a cicada killer… They’re not as dangerous as the asian giant hornet, but I’ve heard they can grow over 3 inches in length.
On August 22, 2009 at 2:18 pm
These BIG bastards are here in central Illinois too. I threw straight gasoline on one last week and the damn thing just flew away W.T.F.!!!!! Any suggestions on “terminating” them?
On September 17, 2009 at 11:31 pm
Yea i was driving down the express way at 65 mph and one of those big mutha******* flew into my car, talk about driving under pressure
On September 18, 2009 at 11:48 am
HAHAHAHAHA!! -You need to write this story up, give it a few images from Flickr to show your point, and publish it!
On September 23, 2009 at 5:28 am
@ Joseph:
Not sure about pesticides, but dealing with either the cicada killer or japanese hornet (not sure which at this point, I’ll have to look closer the next time I kill one), I’ve found that ISBN 0-87259-999-X works great. Antennas apparently beat antennas in the 0500 game of rock/paper/scissors. I’ve killed a few of these things in the last couple weeks in northern VA, the first few with water bottles because it was cold and they were not at a normal energy level, but about a half hour ago it was warmer than it’s been so I had to resort to 0-87259-999-X.
On September 23, 2009 at 7:17 am
re: “…ISBN 0-87259-999-X works great. …had to resort to 0-87259-999-X.”
-When a paperback book doesn’t kill the bee, -switch to a hard-cover book? Okay!
On May 13, 2010 at 11:39 pm
yeah i just stepped on one of these things and i\’m in PA. my foot feels like i\’ts going to fall off! HELP
On May 17, 2010 at 6:38 pm
Cannot believe how much a sting from one of these Japanese Hornets HURTS!! How did they get here from Japan? How are they getting in my house here in VA? Do they have a hive in my yard or something? EGADS!
On September 3, 2010 at 11:11 pm
We are being assaulted by these in Georgia. Is this possible?
On September 6, 2010 at 9:25 pm
About four of these beasts have gotten into the house. They are frickin EVIL! I live in North Georgia. I wish they would fly back to Asia! D: Any ideas on how to kill them without chemicals? I’ve squashed all of them with a dictionary…
On September 7, 2010 at 12:34 am
I’m in the mountains of western NC and have tried killing 2 inside my house today! The first one was about this afternoon its now 1230 and it is still moving even with half its body gone. The second was about an hr ago its still wiggling around on my bathroom floor. I’m scared to touch it!
On September 11, 2010 at 8:52 pm
What REALLY freaks me out is the way these things can decimate a whole honey bee hive. Why haven’t all these experts who’ve been scratchig their heads over the mystery of what’s killing our
honey bees ever mention this thing? I have a whole nest of them
entering a hole in the masonry underneath the gutter, going into
the attic, I presume. Just discovered their nest….got to find a way
to get them without forcing them to start looking for ways to get into the house….YIKES! They are HUGE!
On September 12, 2010 at 4:45 am
while visiting my family in basset,virginia we found a awesome fishing site, but boy was i wrong!! I went back to my car for something thought a bird was in my car started swinging to get it out then i realized it was a bee!! i have never seen a bee that big or mean! It stung me three times and still flew away. I was in soo much pain wow i felt sick to my stomach.went to the E.R and they could not treat me w.o insurance!! my dad soaked my arm up in bootleg & had taken some benadryl. the pain and my nervs had the best of me. this happened a week ago and my arm is still puffy & sore. be aware of these killer bees!!!
On October 24, 2010 at 10:42 pm
Basset, Va?!? Get out! *I* used to live in Basset, Virginia when I was maybe 2 or 3 years old!
On December 21, 2010 at 7:37 pm
This article has been indexed inThe Triond Experiment Thanks and goodluck!
On January 27, 2011 at 5:57 pm
I saw them 20 years ago at ft. Eustice army base. Then I saw one In Maryland. They tick but to me it was like 4 inches long. An thick like a huge potato bug or flying Japanese cricket.
On March 15, 2011 at 1:40 pm
Beware! I thought they were harmess, but a nuisance. Until I leaned back on my couch, and one stung me, THREE TIMES, on the back and neck, in the process of ripping my shirt off. It was agonizing. They are very prolific here in Nelson County, Virginia. I am much more careful now in my encounters.
On April 23, 2011 at 7:19 pm
I was stung on the top of my hand pulling on a curtain…it felt like an I.V. going into my hand. The pain shot up my arm then my chest started to hurt and i got dizzy and nauseated. It was horrible.
On April 25, 2011 at 7:11 pm
One got in my house here in Pickens, SC. We smacked it three times with a fly swatter after throwing a rag soaked in wasp killer on top of it. Eventually we put a heavy work glove on and squished it by hand. It was still moving. We flushed it so hopefully they don’t swim.
On May 4, 2011 at 10:14 pm
i have been chased by these for no reason at all. my dogs have been stung by them,they are mean beyond compare,my poor german shepherds when they get stung i’ve seen their heads swell up like a balloon,and it lasts for a few days,. i have found if you ice the sting area on the skin it helps quite a bit with the swelling,and the dog seems to feel better. my husband got stung by one on his hand and it numbed his whole arm for days.. i just caught one following me around my chicken house,i trapped it in an oatmeal box up against the window,then put it in the fridgerator,..to make sure it couldn’t get away.(this was an hour ago).
On August 17, 2011 at 10:52 am
We have huge hornets like that in Central Oregon.
On August 21, 2011 at 10:22 pm
Just killed 2 in my house and 4 outside. (Quite the sight they did NOT want to die) Im in Central NJ. They are friggin HUGE!
On September 3, 2011 at 9:48 pm
In Middleburg, VA – I have killed four in my house in the past two days. There is one flying around right now but I’m too tired to deal with it. I will kill every one of these F-ers that I see now that I know they kill honeybees.
DIE evil bees!
On September 7, 2011 at 9:28 am
I just left the ER because something stung or bit me while driving. I wasnt sure what it was ,it was so painful I went to ER. I found it in the truck, that is some serious pain if I went to the DR. for it.The sting was on the base of the head.VERY PAINFUL, Those things are everywhere! J.T. Funkhouser in Star Tannery , VA.
On October 11, 2011 at 1:47 am
I live near Lake Bowen and have an Inman, SC address. These hornets attacked my spot lights just after dark a couple of weeks ago. I had never seen one before and hope I never do again. The first attack occurred while I was storing pool equipment for the winter and I was stung on a hand. The next night they attacked the spot light on a deck on the back of the house. I knew what they were this time and sprayed wasp and hornet killer directly on them. It just spurred them on. When did these. When did these armored giant yellow jackets arrive in North America? Our sudden abnormally low temperatures appears to have ended their activity.
On October 11, 2011 at 1:52 am
I live near Lake Bowen and have an Inman, SC address. These hornets attacked my spot lights just after dark a couple of weeks ago. I had never seen one before and hope I never do again. The first attack occurred while I was storing pool equipment for the winter and I was stung on a hand. The next night they attacked the spot light on a deck on the back of the house. I knew what they were this time and sprayed wasp and hornet killer directly on them. It just spurred them on. When did these. When did these armored giant yellow jackets arrive in North America? Our sudden abnormally low temperatures appears to have ended their activity.
On July 21, 2012 at 4:59 pm
are people possibly mistaking cicada killing wasp for the asian killing wasp…. then again killer bees originate from africa. but someone acknowledged that they were responcable for bringing the african bees. Behavior and biology Cicada killer wasps are solitary wasps and have a life cycle very different from the social wasps such as hornets and paper wasps. The stings are designed to paralyze cicadas rather than for nest defense, so despite their large size, the sting is not as painful. The female wasps are not defensive, they will only sting if caught by bare hand or caught in one\’s clothing. Males will chase after other wasps or even buzz around humans, if one comes into their territory, but they have no stings. Adult wasps emerge about mid July in Michigan and live for about 2 months. Adult wasps will dig nesting holes during July and August. Nesting holes are usually in full sun, with sparse vegetation, in well-drained soils that are sandy slightly clayey. The soil thrown out of the hole usually forms a U-shaped open tunnel at the entrance (see Fig. 2 above). Female wasps will make burrows that are about 6-10 inches deep and drag paralyzed cicadas inside. A burrow may have 10 to 20 cells with each cell provided with 1-2 cicadas and one egg. Each female egg is provided with two cicadas and male egg is provided with one cicada. Eggs hatch into larvae in two days and larvae will consume the live but paralyzed cicadas in 4-14 days and then spin a coocoon. The larvae then enter into a diapause. They pupate in the next spring and emerge as asults mid July the next year, completing the full cycle. Female wasps will locate singing cicadas and sting them to cause paralysis, then either glide from a tree to their burrow or drag them to the burrow on the grass.
Control and prevention If you do not enjoy the singing of cicadas during summer, then the cicada killer wasps are your friend. One female wasp will hunt 10-30 cicadas per summer. However when they become too abundant, especially near door steps, golf courses, or flower beds, people can get annoyed or scared. The most effective control is to use a tennis rackets to swat them like large flies, or one can capture them using insect nets. Because the wasp only nests in areas with sparse vegetation, improving your lawn with adequate watering and fertilizer will remove infestation after 1-2 years. If one prefers to use pesticide, locate the burrows during day time and apply pesticide after it is dark so the wasps are inside their burrows. Dusts such as bendiocarb (Ficam), carbaryl (Sevin), or diazinon can be applied to the nest entrance directly. If the density of burrows are high, consider spraying of the same type of insecticides. One may need to treat continuously for 2-3 weeks if there is an influx of new wasps from other places. If you are allergic to insect stings, have someone help you or call a pest control firm listed in your yellow pages.
On July 24, 2012 at 7:44 pm
wow… i just googled these things Zues is talking about b/c I heard a cicada going nuts in the tree above me. I loof up and it is falling out of the tree. I go over there and this huge hornet thing is stinging the piss out of it. This wasp dragged the cicada, which is a big insect, up the tree. Then, flew out over the neighbors yard. This thing looked vicious. I was literally scared of it and thought it was cool enough to google to find out what the heck it was. Pretty badass bug!!!
On July 24, 2012 at 10:46 pm
Thank you both for taking the time to comment. Much appreciated!
On August 14, 2012 at 11:58 am
I live in Knoxville, TN and I have been dealing with these monsters for weeks! I am truly scared of it. If u kill one, its like shouting “MAN DOWN!!” and u better get the hell inside because reinforcements are on the way!! As I type, my left arm is like a sausage from elbow down and I was stung 2 nights ago! There are no other flying insects in my yard they are dead or finally figured out waspzilla moved in.
On August 14, 2012 at 1:06 pm
Wow!
Despite this and other warnings, I’d still look to see/capture one (have it mounted in a glass display case maybe??)
Thanks for the feedback. Appreciated!\\
-thestickman
On September 22, 2012 at 8:22 pm
I live in Japan, and we had a nest in some wood steps along side our house. I had one of these things just touch my leg, and stung me in that instant… IT HURT like hell!! I proceeded to take a hose and flush out the nest and killed every single bee in the process! Where the bee stung me swelled up some, and hurt for a day or two, but nothing more than that. If someone is allergic to bee/wasp stings, it would\’ve probably killed them if they couldn\’t get to a hospital, it was that potent.
On September 24, 2012 at 9:44 am
I can attest that these mean things are in the Charlottesville Virginia area! I was driving in my car with the windows down around 7pm, when i heard a buzz and a whack, hit my car. About 500ft later, I felt a sting like I’ve never felt before. I was barely able to bring the car to a stop, flew out and looked in the headlights for what was stinging me. As i was doing so, the gigantic bee flew at my leg and tried to attack me again. I ran into the house and immediately googled to see what the hell it was and came to discover these horrific insects.