How dangerous is the hornet for humans? Hornet insect. Hornet lifestyle and habitat. Prevention measures against hornets

Hornet (lat. Vespa) - arthropod insect, which belongs to the subclass winged insects, infraclass new-winged insects, superorder insects with complete metamorphosis, order Hymenoptera, suborder stalked-bellied, superfamily Waspidae, family true wasps, subfamily Vespina, genus Hornet.

The Latin designation of the genus means “wasp”.

Hornet - description, structure, characteristics. What does a hornet look like?

On average, insects range in size from 1.8 to 3.5 cm, and the largest are hornets of the Vespa mandarinia species - they reach 5.5 cm in length. Hornets differ from other representatives of the family of true wasps by a larger head and a fairly wide crown, the part of the head located behind the compound eyes. In addition to compound eyes, the insect has 3 simple ocelli. The color of the head may be black, yellow, orange or reddish brown with yellow spots present. On the head there are brown-black antennae, the number of segments of which differs in females and males. The insect's mandibles (jaws) are black, brown, or yellow-orange.

The hornet has a rounded abdomen, drawn together by a slender waist at the junction with the chest. The coloring of many hornets resembles that of a common wasp, although the alternation of black, yellow or reddish-orange stripes may not be so bright and clearly expressed. In other species, the abdomen is brown or black with one red or yellow stripe, and sometimes without them at all. For example, the variable hornet (lat. Vespa fumida) has a completely brown-black color with alternating lighter and darker tones. Also, the stripes on the abdomen of some varieties may be white (as in the species Vespa luctuosa). Hairs of different sizes grow on the insect's body.

At the end of the abdomen of working females and the uterus there is an ovipositor, which is a sting. In a calm state, it is invisible, as it is pulled into the abdomen of the insect. At the base of the sting there is a paired venom gland with a reservoir filled with poison.

The hornet's sting is straight and smooth; unlike a bee's, it does not have serrations, so hornets, like other wasps, can sting repeatedly.

In total, the hornet has 3 pairs of legs, black, brown or yellow color, depending on the type. The structure of the limbs includes the coxa, trochanter, femur, tibia with a spur at the end and the tarsus. The insect's membranous wings are represented in two pairs: large anterior ones and small posterior ones. The front wings are folded along the back when at rest.

During flight, the leading edge of the small wings is attached using special hooks to the rear edge of the large wings: thus, both right wings and both left wings form a single flying surface.

Where do hornets live?

The largest part of the hornets' habitat is in the Northern Hemisphere. However, you can meet this insect not only there. Hornets live in North America, Europe and Russia (except Far North), in Asia and in North Africa. Insects are found in the north and east of China, Kazakhstan, Laos, Indochina, Taiwan and Cambodia, Nepal, India, Vietnam and Sri Lanka, Thailand, China, Korea and the mountainous regions of Japan, Algeria, Egypt, Libya , in Sudan and Somalia. Hornets live in Ukraine, Iran, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan and Turkey, Italy, Spain, France, Greece, Albania, Romania, Greece, Cyprus, Madagascar and Bulgaria and other countries.

Constructing rather large multi-tiered nests, which to the touch and texture resemble slightly corrugated, rough paper, hornets attach them in hollows, in birdhouses abandoned by birds, in deadwood bushes, in the attics of residential buildings, under the roofs of barns, in dry caves, on steep cliffs or they simply hang them on tree branches. The color of the nest can be beige, brown, yellowish-brown, with dark red, purple or brown markings and stripes (depending on the type of insect). The shape of multi-tiered hornet nests resembles a pear, an oval or a large ball. The nest size can reach about 70 cm in height and more than 40 cm in width.

The nests of these insects are often called paper nests, since the principle of their creation is similar to paper production. The material for construction is fibers of rotted wood, soft wood or bark from young branches, which the hornets carefully chew and glue with their sticky saliva. Then the insects apply this mass to the nest in a thin layer. After drying, it hardens and turns into a loose kind of paper. This material is very similar to rough wrapping paper, on which you can even write with a pencil. The poor (from a human point of view) quality of this paper is explained by the fact that hornets, like wasps, use rotten wood and tree bark for construction.

Hornet's nest inside. Larvae (with a yellow head) and pupae are visible in the honeycombs. Photo by: Milan Kořinek

Some species of hornets, such as the Dybowski hornet, do not build their own nests, preferring to settle in the nests of hornets of other species, killing the host queen, taking her place and laying their own eggs, which are tended to by unsuspecting worker hornets. The Dybovsky hornet builds its own housing only in exceptional cases, when there is no suitable “apartment” nearby.

Some hornets, for example oriental (lat. Vespa orientalis), basal (lat. Vespa basalis) and warlike (lat. Vespa bellicosa), build underground nests with numerous passages. They can be located underground, in abandoned rodent burrows or under tree roots and reach up to 20-30 cm in diameter. In this case, the depth of the nest can reach 56 meters (as, for example, in the eastern hornets).

What do hornets eat?

Adult hornets feed mainly on plant foods, especially those rich in sugar. Very often, insects can be observed in orchards during the active ripening of fruits, sitting on soft, overripe fruits (plums). Hornets happily feed on sweet secretions and nectar, they love to feast on honey, so they often attack apiaries and drink the juice flowing from the wounds of trees (ash trees, elms). In addition, hornets are excellent hunters: their victims include small crickets, their larvae, and close relatives of hornets. For example, during their life cycle, tropical hornets can destroy more than 500 colonies of bees and wasps. By the way, the two-colored hornets Vespa bicolor, which live on Hainan Island, sometimes mistake flowers for bees and attack them. It's all about the unusual aroma, similar to the smell of a honey bee, which attracts predators.

Killed by powerful jaws and stings, the prey is thoroughly moistened with saliva and chewed into a suspension, but is not at all a source of nutrition for the adult hornet, but is used to feed the voracious larvae during their growth period. In one day, a large colony of hornets can feed up to 500 grams of insects to their larvae. Some hornets, such as the Dybovsky hornet, in addition to catching live prey, search for dead insects and also collect human food waste, not disdaining meat and fish. All this also goes into food for the larvae.

Reproduction of hornets

Hornets are social insects, so their way of life is subject to strict rules that reign in a swarm, which can sometimes number several hundred, and sometimes thousands of individuals. Each individual performs a specific function, due to which all processes necessary for the normal functioning of insects are ideally supported in the family, and important information is also exchanged. The division into “castes” (female worker hornets, queen and males) allows the hornets to properly organize reproduction, feeding, building nests, raising and feeding offspring, as well as protecting their colony.

With the arrival of warm days (in countries with harsh winters) or depending on the attachment of the species to the timing of reproduction (in warm countries), the queen hornet flies around the territory in search of a place to create a nest in which a new colony of hornets will live. Having found a suitable location, she begins building honeycomb cells. One egg is subsequently placed in each cell, from which after 5-8 days a tiny larva 1-2 mm in size will develop.

Eggs (small in the central combs) and larvae. Photo credit: Tubiniit, CC BY-SA 4.0

Having gone through 5 stages in two weeks, the larva turns into a pupa, which after another 13-15 days becomes an adult, gnaws through the lid of the cell and comes out.

With the appearance of the first imagoes (adults), the queen shifts the construction of new cells and caring for the next offspring to them, practically stopping her flights from the nest. Working hornets are constantly on the move: they obtain food for the larvae, water, and bring building materials. Hornets almost never sleep, even working at night. In the fall, the queen produces eggs, from which females hatch, suitable for procreation. They mate with males, who die soon after. Also in mid- or late autumn, the old hornet queen and unfertilized females die. New fertilized queens have the opportunity to overwinter to create a new nest the following season.

Lifespan of hornets

The lifespan of hornets mainly depends on living conditions, nutrition and their caste: working females usually live for about a month, males - a couple of weeks after mating with the queen, and queens can survive after a comfortable winter.

Types of hornets, photos and names

The following species belong to the genus of hornets:

Vespa affinis– Small striped hornet,
Vespa analis,
Vespa basalis– Basal hornet,
Vespa bellicosa– Warlike hornet,
Vespa bicolor– Two-color hornet,
Vespa binghami– Bingham Hornet,
Vespa crabro– Common hornet (hornet wasp),
Vespa ducalis– Tropical (black-tailed) hornet,
Vespa dybowski– Dybovsky’s Hornet (black hornet),
Vespa fervida- Ardent hornet,
Vespa fumida– Variable hornet,
Vespa luctuosa- The mournful hornet,
Vespa mandarinia– Asian giant hornet, huge Asian hornet,
Vespa mocsaryana,
Vespa multimaculata– Many-spotted hornet,
Vespa orientalis– Eastern hornet (eastern wasp),
Vespa philippinensis– Philippine hornet,
Vespa simillima– Yellow hornet,
Vespa soror– Black-tailed hornet,
Vespa tropica– Tropical hornet,
Vespa vivax.

Below is a description of several types of hornets.

Common hornet, or hornet wasp ( Vespa crabro)

A fairly large representative of the genus: the hornet uterus reaches a length of 2.5-3.5 cm, males have a length of 2.1-2.8 cm, working individuals - from 1.8 to 2.4 cm. Males and females have some differences in structure. The antennae of males consist of 13 segments, and those of females - of 12. The abdomen of males consists of 7 segments, while females have only 6. Both the queen and working hornets have a sting - a modified ovipositor, up to 3 mm long, used by insects for guard. Males are deprived of such weapons. The belly of the common hornet is painted with alternating stripes of orange-yellow and black, and the chest is black. Females have red back of the head and cheeks, males have orange. The front of the head of both is yellow. The insect's legs are reddish-brown in color. The habitat of the common hornet includes European countries (with the exception of northern and southern regions), Ukraine, southern Siberia, eastern regions China, Kazakhstan, North America (except for its western part), the European zone of Russia (except for the northern regions).

Hornet is deplorable ( Vespa luctuosa)

A species of insects endemic to the Philippine Islands. The color of the hornet is brown or black, depending on the subspecies; there are white stripes on its wide abdomen. The clypeus of insects is orange-yellow. The mournful hornet produces highly toxic venom, which makes its bite very dangerous to humans or animals.

Eastern Hornet, or eastern wasp ( Vespa orientalis)

The queens have a length of 2.5-3 cm, males reach 2.1-2.5 cm, working hornets grow to 1.8-2.4 cm. The antennae of males consist of 13 segments, in females - of 12. The body color is red -brown in color, on the abdomen there is a wide yellow-whitish stripe. Scientists have proven that the pigment xanthopterin contained in this strip allows insects to convert absorbed sunlight into electricity. The eastern hornet tolerates dry and hot climates well. Hornets of this species live in southern Europe (Italy, Malta, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, Crete and Cyprus), North Africa (Somalia, Algeria, Morocco, Libya), as well as Asia (Turkey, Iran, Iraq , Pakistan, Oman, China, Nepal, Israel, Palestine, Syria, India, on the territory of Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan). This type of hornet is also found in Russia and Madagascar. It builds nests not only above the ground, but also underground, as well as in dead wood and under tree roots.

Tropical hornet ( Vespa tropica)

The species is native to South Asia and is distributed from Afghanistan to New Guinea. The size of queens reaches 4 cm, males and workers - 2.4-3 mm. The head and chest of the hornet can be black or reddish in color (depending on the subspecies); the second segment of the black abdomen has a yellow-orange stripe. The nests of these insects can be located both on tree branches and underground.

Lives in southern China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand. It is also found in Europe, in particular in France, where it was introduced artificially. The body length of the queen is about 3 cm, working individuals measure approximately 2.4 cm, the body length of males is from 1.8 to 2 cm. The color depends on the subspecies, for example, the French variety of hornets Vespa velutina nigrithorax has a black color. The size of the nests of these insects reaches 60 cm.

Dybovsky's Hornet, or black hornet ( Vespa dybowski)

Giant Asian hornet ( Vespa mandarinia)

This is the largest hornet in the world. The length of some individuals of this species exceeds 5 cm, and the wingspan reaches 7.5 cm. The head of the insect is wide and orange. The abdomen is brownish with yellow stripes. The species lives in the mountains of Sri Lanka, Korea, China, Nepal, Japan, India and Taiwan. In Russia, this hornet lives in the Primorsky Territory. The huge Asian hornet has a long sting, about 6 mm, and the bite is very painful and dangerous due to the venom containing a neurotoxic substance - mandorotoxin.

Japanese hornet (V espa mandarinia japonica)

It is a subspecies of the Asian giant hornet, endemic to Japan, where it is called the “sparrow bee.” Sometimes the insect is found on Sakhalin. This is a very large hornet, its body length often exceeds 4 cm, and its wingspan reaches 6 cm. Head Japanese hornet large, yellow, with a pair of large eyes, to which three additional ocelli have been added. Abdomen dark brown with yellow stripes. The hornet's sting can be up to 6.2 mm long; the bite is painful and very dangerous due to the presence of nerve toxins in the hornet's venom. There is evidence that about 40 people die every year from Japanese hornet attacks in Japan.

Hornets are insects similar to ordinary wasps, but differ in larger sizes.
These insects are considered dangerous because they bite very painfully, and if a person has a tendency to allergies, then after such a bite it is likely to develop Quincke's edema or anaphylactic shock.

Physiologically, hornets are designed in such a way that they cannot regulate their body temperature, which means that with the onset of cold weather they must die. But nevertheless, they spend the winter somewhere and appear in the spring, begin active work in building nests, breeding offspring, etc. In this regard, it is very interesting where hornets winter, how they manage to protect themselves from cold and dampness.

Hornets are close relatives of common wasps; they have a similar body structure, feeding and life characteristics, reproduction and distribution. But still, in some ways, hornets differ from their relatives, for example, wasps always use their sting, both for the purpose of self-defense and when obtaining food. But hornets use their poison solely to protect themselves, and they kill insects for food with their jaws.

Many people involved in agriculture, as well as beekeepers and gardeners, are interested in where hornets live in nature, how and what they eat, and how dangerous they are to humans and crops. Hornets typically live in colonies, large clusters. In one family of these insects there are sometimes more than 400 individuals. The main position, as a rule, is occupied by the uterus, which is responsible for laying eggs and breeding new offspring.

Interesting fact! In order to prevent males from mating with other females, the uterus emits a special smell. As a result of this, drones are born, which hatch from the unfertilized eggs of other females.

Body structure

Features of the body structure of an adult:

The length of the queen is approximately 30 mm, and that of males and other individuals is 25 mm.
The head and chest are yellow.
There are three reddish eyes on the head.
Powerful mouthparts, like those of gnawing insects.
The characteristic color is in the form of rings of yellow color with brown inclusions.
Villi all over the body.

Types of hornets

The most common type of hornet is the European one, which lives in places where there are Agriculture, as well as in forests and thickets of plants. This type insects do not like dry and cold climates, so they cannot be found in the cold North and in southern regions with a dry climate.

The eastern hornet lives in Asia, Madagascar, North Africa, and is also often found in Europe, but exclusively in its southern part. Only this species of hornet can live where it is dry and hot, in deserts and semi-deserts, in the steppes. They place their nests in the ground and are red-brown in color.

Philippine hornets are considered the most dangerous and poisonous, since their bites can kill a person. They live only in the Philippines.

Where do hornets live?

Hornets form their nests from wood and birch bark. Their building material is unique: they chew wood with powerful jaws and make their own homes from the resulting mass.

The most common places for their nests to be attached:

Hollow tree.
Nora.
Old bee hive.
Birdhouses for birds.
Sheds.

Usually, hornets try to settle close to people, closer to food sources, because they are omnivores and can eat absolutely everything, from a rotten apple to meat.

Interesting fact! It is uncharacteristic for hornets to return to their old nests after wintering; with the onset of spring, they settle in new places.

It is interesting to know not only where hornets live, but also how and what they eat, how they get food for themselves and feed their offspring. These relatives of wasps are essentially predators; they eat other, smaller insects, not only living ones, but also dead ones.
But the hornet will not eat a corpse that has already begun to rot. Other food products for them are ripe and overripe fruits and berries, for example, blackberries, raspberries, plums, apples, grapes, apricots, etc.

Hornets are very fond of honey, and for this reason they are considered enemies of bees and beekeepers. It is not uncommon for just a few adults to destroy entire bee hives. Moreover, they also eat the bees themselves and their larvae. Hornets bring into their nests everything that is suitable for food, and they feed their larvae exclusively with the remains of insects.
Where and how do hornets spend the winter?

So where do hornets hibernate in winter? After all, it has been established that they cannot survive in the cold season due to the peculiarities of their structure. In fact, only the queens can survive the winter safely, and the males usually die after mating. The fertilized female leaves her nest towards the end of summer, and before the cold weather she is actively looking for food, eating well, and looking for a place for the coming winter.

The main selection criteria are inaccessibility to people, other insects, wind, and cold. When the air temperature drops to zero, the queen hibernates, all life processes in her body slow down, and she wakes up in the spring, finds a suitable place for a nest and lays her eggs there, breeding offspring.

A human dwelling is unsuitable for a hornet to overwinter, since eggs will be laid there much earlier, and the female will not have the opportunity to find building material to build a nest and breed offspring. Another problem is food for the larvae, which is much less available in the middle of winter. Therefore, the best option is to spend the cold season in suspended animation.

Making a nest for the winter

Hornet's home winter time looks like an ordinary crack, a hollow, a small hole, where an individual can comfortably settle down and hibernate, so that with the onset of spring it can start looking for a place for a new nest.

Hornet houses in spring resemble pears in appearance with a large number of tiers consisting of honeycombs. If there are many tiers, then this indicates a large family. The main purpose of nests is to lay eggs, hatch larvae and feed them.

The winter shelter of an individual hornet must meet all the requirements so that nothing disturbs the female’s peace. After all, many insects do not survive until spring due to attacks from other predators, from the cold, if it is not possible to find the most suitable place.
Another trouble for the hornet in winter is an early thaw and subsequent frosts, since under the influence of heat the female comes out of the state of suspended animation, and when it gets colder again, she dies along with her offspring, if they have already been born.

The most common places for hornets to winter:

Cracks from the outside of a human house.
Crevices in the rocks.
Hollow tree.
Abandoned nests.
Birdhouses.
Areas under rocks.
Old stumps.
Roofs of barns.
Between the boards in rural latrines.

The lifespan of a female is approximately one year; she usually dies before the onset of the second cold weather in her life.

Harm and benefits of hornets

The only benefit of hornets for humans is that they destroy harmful insects and various pests. They cause much more harm, because they destroy and plunder apiaries, eat bees and the products of their activities, and also damage fruits on trees, which contributes to their premature rotting. The danger to humans is an insect bite, which in some cases can be life-threatening.

Conclusion

It is not recommended to destroy hornets' homes if they do not cause disturbance, because this can be dangerous to humans. If you do not touch them, they themselves attack in very rare cases. In addition, some types of these insects are listed in the Red Book due to wanton destruction.

Hornets belong to the genus Vespa, they are the largest and most aggressive representatives of the wasp family ( Vespidae) - the largest individuals reach a length of 5.5 centimeters. At the same time, the European hornet is not aggressive and rarely stings, unless you encroach on its nest. Although there are many insects that are mistakenly classified as hornets, there are actually about 20 species of true hornets worldwide. They are distinguished not only by their aggressiveness, but also by the fact that the venom of some hornets, such as the Asian giant hornet, is very painful and can be fatal. The best way to avoid a bite is to promptly recognize the hornets themselves or their nest by appearance.

Steps

How to identify a hornet nest

Know what a hornets nest looks like. It looks like a gray oval-shaped object, made as if from paper. Although it is not actually paper, a hornets' nest is similar to it and is made from their saliva and wood. It contains eggs, and the hornets protect both them and their nest. Try not to let the insects find you near their nest, otherwise they will sense danger.

Look for a nest outside in a sheltered place. Hornets usually build their nests outdoors above the ground, such as in trees, poles or sturdy bushes. They may also build nests under roof eaves or boards.

Hornet nests are rarely seen in the fall after they are covered by fallen leaves. By this time, most of the hornets die and leave behind only the queen for the winter, which hibernates and survives the winter.
In contrast, wasps often build their nests close to the ground, underground, or inside a loose structure, such as between the inside and outside walls of a house or even inside an old mattress.
Some wasps build their nests high above the ground and are mistakenly called hornets. North American bald-faced hornet ( Dolichovespula Maculata) is actually a species of wasp. Australian hornet ( Abispa ephippium) is also a species of potter wasp.

Estimate the number of insects. One colony can have up to 700 hornets. If the nest is much larger, it may contain thousands of insects, and these are most likely wasps. Take a close look at the nest from a safe distance to determine whether you are dealing with hornets or wasps.

How to recognize hornets by external signs
1. Consider the characteristic signs. Hornets, like wasps, have a thin waist between the thorax and abdomen. It’s not for nothing that the concept of a “wasp waist” exists. This distinguishes them from bees, whose thoracic and abdominal sections are connected by a wide waist.
  
  Notice the black and white stripes. Unlike bees, which have brownish-yellow and black stripes, and some other members of the wasp family, such as the common or burrowing wasp, which have bright yellow and black stripes, most hornets are characteristically black and white.
  - However, some species, such as yellow or European hornets, have a different color, so you need to pay attention to the “waist” of the insect.
2. Consider the size difference between hornets and wasps. One of the main differences between hornets and wasps, which is noticeable both up close and at a distance, is body size. For example, the only true hornet found in the United States and Canada is the European hornet, and it reaches a length of 2.5–4 centimeters. At the same time, ordinary and paper wasps are much smaller, their length does not exceed 2.5 centimeters.
  
  Consider others characteristics hornet. Unlike other members of the wasp family, the section of the abdomen closest to the thorax, the so-called abdomen, is more rounded in hornets. Therefore, when trying to determine who is in front of you, a hornet or a wasp, first look at the abdomen of the insect.
  
  Note the wider shape of the head behind the eyes. Hornets have a wider crown compared to the rest of their body than other members of the wasp family.
  
  See if the wings are pressed to the body along its entire length. Some other representatives of the wasp family press their wings to their body when at rest, and this is another sign that allows you to distinguish hornets from their relatives.
3. Note the absence of serrations on the sting. A bee stinger is barbed so it is ripped out of the insect's abdomen when it stings, costing the bee its life. At the same time, hornets, like other members of the wasp family, have a smooth sting and can sting repeatedly without losing it.
  - While this can help differentiate a hornet or wasp from a bee, if you get close enough to see the stinger, it's best to move away as quickly as possible.
- Hornets are attracted to human sweat and rapid movements. If you try to run away from a hornet, it will give chase and will likely release a pheromone that will signal its brethren to chase you as well.
- Thanks to communication using pheromones, hornets are able to sting a target en masse, which makes them a dangerous and formidable opponent.
- Do not approach or scare the hornets' nest. It is best to leave the hornets alone.
- If a hornet approaches you, move away. Don't wave your arms or try to drive him away, otherwise he will attack back and signal other hornets to attack you as well.
- An allergy to bee venom does not mean that you are also allergic to wasp or hornet venom. If in doubt, get a wasp venom allergy test before traveling to areas where hornets are common.
- If you are forced to kill a hornet, try to do it as far from its nest as possible, and then move away immediately. When attacked, the insect will release an alarm pheromone that can land on your skin or clothing and will attract other hornets to you until you wipe it off or wash it off.
- Hornets belong to the wasp family, and if you are allergic to wasp venom, you will also have an allergic reaction to hornet stings. If you are heading to an area where there are hornets, take an adrenaline injection kit with you, and if you are stung, seek medical attention as soon as possible.
- Hornet stings are painful and dangerous due to the venom they contain. a large number of acetylcholine.

Hornets are members of the family of social wasps. Moreover, the most major representatives. The length of individuals of some species can reach 5.5 centimeters.

Hornets have a color typical of representatives of stinging, and therefore dangerous, insects - black and yellow. These two contrasting colors are clearly distinguishable by birds from a great distance, so in nature hornets have practically no feathered enemies. Other animals also avoid meeting them in the same territory and even leave their usual habitat if the hornets decide to build a nest on it.

The reason for this behavior is not at all the aggressiveness of this species of Hymenoptera. It’s just that they, like other wasps, have a sharply sharpened weapon - the hornet’s sting.

Important! If hornets have built a nest in the immediate vicinity of your home, it will be useful for you to know which ones are the most effective?

Does a hornet have a sting?

In a calm state, absolutely nothing can be seen at the tip of the abdomen of this insect. Thanks to their coloring, which honestly warns that you need to stay away from them, hornets live quite carefree. Not afraid of anyone, they themselves are dangerous predators. They hunt flies, grasshoppers, and spiders, but hornets cause the most problems to beekeepers. By attacking hives, a small swarm of hornets can chew through several families of honey bees.

Hornets use the power of their jaws to tackle their prey. Anyone who has encountered this insect at least once will never forget his first impression of the sight of a large striped body, a large head with noticeable eyes, and the sound of the bass buzzing of its wings. The jaws of such a giant can bite through the thin skin of a child, causing pain.

But it happens much more often that the hornet uses a sting. He has it, it is an excellent example of a weapon of self-defense and attack. Thanks to the special structure of the muscles and body segments at the end of the abdomen, the sting can freely hide inside it and move out at lightning speed if necessary.

Hornet sting size

Since the sting is nothing more than the remains of a greatly changed ovipositor, it is characteristic only of female hunters. Males deprived of these weapons are completely harmless to large animals, but still dangerous to bees and anyone else they consider their rightful prey.

In ancient treatises on the description of terrestrial animals one can find fantastic information that hornets usually have several stings, and their sizes vary from small to huge, several centimeters.

In fact, the size of the sting is not so small - in the most dangerous Asian giant hornet it is close to one centimeter. In the common hornet, distributed throughout most of Russia, as well as the United States of America and Canada, its size is measured in several millimeters, usually 4–6 mm.

Under a microscope you can see what a hornet's sting looks like. If the sting of a wasp consists of two halves adjacent to each other, and the sting of a bee at high magnification looks like a saw - with jagged edges - then the sting of a hornet is a dense tube of durable chitin, smooth and hollow. Moreover, it is pointed at the end - for better penetration under the skin of the offender or victim.

At the moment of the sting, the muscle fibers at the end of the hornet's abdomen contract, and a dose of poison is injected into the tube. Each of us has felt the pain of an injection syringe needle and knows how the medicine gets under the skin. The principle of operation is the same here. Only the stung person experiences pain not so much from the puncture of the skin, but from the action of the poison.

The danger of hornet venom

The hornet is a thrifty insect. In one blow, it releases only a tiny drop of poison under the victim's skin. But if necessary, he can sting him several times. Perhaps this is where the legend of the hornet arose as a creature with many stings.

Does the hornet leave a sting in the victim's skin? No, it is precisely because of its smoothness that this device is so easily removed from the wound and can attack again and again. If, in a panic attack, a person accidentally slams an insect while dying, it will release a special alarm pheromone into the air. Sensing him, other members of the nest will rush to protect their relative, and then the person will be in trouble.

Even a single bite from this large insect is dangerous. Toxins include:

acetylcholine is a transmitter of nervous excitation from nerve cells to muscles and back. It is thanks to the high concentration of this substance in the dose of the resulting poison that such strong, unbearable pain is felt;
protein components and histamine, which provokes an instant allergic reaction, and proteins develop and strengthen it;
phospholipases, which destroy the walls of blood capillaries, cause hemorrhages and suppuration at the site of the sting;
substances that increase heartbeat, which means the spread of poison throughout the body along with the blood.

Usually twisted in such a way as to immediately take off, leaving the victim alone with excruciating pain. A hornet bite to the throat, head, heart, or abdominal cavity of a person is especially dangerous.. Even if the body is resistant to the poison, the swelling that develops can compress vital organs or airways, leading to death.

Do not forget that the hornet’s sting is an organ that protects the animal. It can cause big problems with your health. Treat hornets with due caution and avoid places where they appear.

On a warm May day you can see a large wasp buzzing as it goes about its business. This is a common hornet - a representative of the family of social wasps. Despite its impressive size, it is not aggressive. Vespa crabro or hornet wasp prefers to feed on fruit juice and other sweet foods. Insects live in large families with a constant hierarchy. The head of the colony is the queen - the only female capable of laying fertilized eggs. The purpose of working females and males is to serve the queen and the growing larvae.

Description of the hornet

Vespa crabro is a species of the largest wasp found in Europe. The body length of working individuals is 18-24 mm, the uterus is much larger - 25-35 mm. Appearance females and males are almost identical, their differences are noticeable only with magnification. The number of segments in the antennae of the male is 13, and in the female 12, on the abdomen - 7 and 6, respectively. Small transparent wings fold along the back when at rest. The deep slit of the reddish-orange eyes resembles the letter "C". The surface of the body is densely covered with hairs.

Interesting fact. There are 9 subspecies of Vespa crabro in the world.

Area of residence

In the Northern Hemisphere, up to the 63rd parallel, the most common species is the common hornet. It can be found in Europe, North America, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine. In Russia, insects live over a vast territory from the European border to the Ural Mountains and Siberia. Even in the northern and eastern provinces of China they know what the European hornet looks like.

Interesting fact. Until the mid-19th century, hornet wasps were not found in North America. They were accidentally introduced by European sailors.

Differences between a hornet and a wasp

Hornets differ from other members of the family in size and enlarged nape. These parameters immediately catch your eye. The differences are also noticeable in the nuances of color - the back, base of the abdomen and antennae of the hornet are brown, while those of the wasp are black. The basic proportions of the body structure of insects are similar; they have a thin waist, strong jaws, and a sting.

External features complement the differences in character; despite its superior size, the common hornet is less aggressive than the wasp. An attack can be provoked by approaching the nest where the hornets live in the summer.

Information. A prejudiced attitude towards hornet wasps has developed due to their impressive size and menacing buzzing sound when flying. Unreasonable fear causes active actions towards insects; a person waving his hands at it will be bitten.

Types of hornets

There are more than two dozen varieties of hornets. Initially, insects were found only in East Asia. With the help of humans, typical inhabitants of the subtropics reached North America and Canada. In addition to the ordinary one, which is described above, it is worth considering three interesting and numerous types:

To learn more about the insect, consider it life cycle from birth to death.

Birth

A single queen gives life to an entire generation of a family of giant wasps. In the spring she finds a place to build a house for a new colony. The female makes the first honeycombs herself, then lays eggs in them. After a few days, larvae appear and require animal food. Their mother regularly goes hunting for caterpillars, beetles, butterflies and other insects. The grown larvae wrap themselves in silk thread and turn into pupae. Two weeks later, the young hornets gnaw the path of their cocoon.

Interesting. In bad rainy weather the hornets cannot fly out of the nest, then the larvae give droplets of food to the workers.

Maturity

In July, several working males and females grow up and are ready to take care of the family. They help complete the construction of honeycombs and fly for protein for the larvae. The queen stops leaving the house and concentrates on laying eggs. How long do hornets live? The life of working females and males is very short. They grow up at the end of summer, and in September most of the individuals die. The rest survive until the first cold weather.

In early autumn, the family reaches its population peak. In the last clutch, the queen laid fertilized eggs, from which females emerged that could become new queens. Individuals born earlier had altered ovaries; their functioning was suppressed by the queen's pheromones. Young females and males begin to swarm around the nest and mate. Insects save the sperm obtained in the fall for foundation. new family. After mating, males will live for about a week. The old queen loses her ability to reproduce and is driven out onto the street or killed.

How do hornets winter?

Almost all members of the hornet colony die before the onset of winter. Only fertilized young females will remain. During the last warm days, they actively hunt, replenishing their body’s energy reserves. Decrease daylight hours becomes a signal for the onset of diapause. This is a state in which they are inhibited metabolic processes body.

Where do hornets winter? They choose secluded places where they can hide from severe frosts and natural enemies - birds and mammals. Females prefer to climb under the bark of trees; the deeper they are, the greater the chance of surviving until spring. For wintering, tree hollows filled with fallen leaves, crevices in sheds, and attics are used. Females will wake up in May when average temperature air will not fall below 10 0. They will live the longest - 1 year and create a new family of common hornets.

Nutrition

Hornets can be called omnivorous insects; they are dexterous hunters, but at the same time lovers of plant food. What do hornets eat? Adults have a wide gastronomic diet:

nectar;
juice of ripe soft fruits (peach, pear, apple);
berries - raspberries, blackberries, strawberries;
aphid secretions;

Predatory insects, except for the queen, eat their relatives only at the larval stage. Working individuals with enviable diligence shuttle between the nest and the hunting site, bringing spiders, centipedes, and worms to their offspring. Hornets cut up prey with powerful jaws, feeding protein to the growing larvae and queen, which requires strength to lay eggs. Large wasps often attack individual bees and hives. One large individual is capable of tearing apart up to 30 honey plants.

Interesting fact. Hornets do not have a long period of sleep; they are active at any time of the day. To rest, they simply freeze for a few minutes. Numerous hungry larvae, the number of which sometimes reaches up to 500, require a lot of food. Family predatory insects capable of destroying up to 0.5 kg of garden pests daily.

Building a nest

The place for the hornets' nest should be secluded, protected from bad weather and drafts. In nature, these are tree hollows; a reduction in their number forces the queen to seek shelter close to human habitation. Sometimes females choose a nesting box, which soon becomes completely filled with tiers of honeycombs, requiring them to find a new location. Insects can simply hang a nest on a tree branch, hide it in a rock crevice, a steppe hole, or in the attic of a house or outbuilding.

If there is no rotten stump or other wood nearby, working individuals cause significant damage to young branches. With strong jaws they scrape off the bark, which they use to build a nest. Ash or birch wood mixes with saliva and becomes building material for hexagonal honeycomb nest walls. Born architects can create real masterpieces.

The nest material resembles cardboard or corrugated paper. The expansion of the structure is carried out in tiers, from top to bottom. From the first leg, attached by the uterus, it will grow to 5-7 tiers. Honeycomb plates have up to 500 cells. The outside of the nest has the shape of a cocoon. The thickness of the protective walls is several centimeters. Interestingly, the color of the cocoon depends on the wood, the most common being brown. The shape of the nest changes depending on the stage of construction. Typically, insects flock to their home to rest at night. How many hornets are in the nest? Their number depends on the stage of development of the colony, favorable conditions, and abundance of food. The colony can number 300-400 individuals.

Information. Despite the colossal efforts spent on building the nest, the insects will not settle in it next year. The young queens will find a new home.

How does a hornet bite?

The insect has a sharp and smooth sting that stings quickly and painfully. The insect's venom is not more toxic than that of a bee, and therefore the symptoms of intoxication are similar. The consequences of a bite depend on the body's reaction. Even with strong immunity, swelling and redness appear at the puncture site. If an individual manages to inject a large amount of poison by inflicting several sting strikes, inflammation occurs. With increased sensitivity to the toxin, anaphylactic shock occurs. In this case, urgent hospitalization is required.

Why does a severe allergic reaction occur? It is caused by histamine, a substance present in the chemical formula of the poison. Histamine accelerates the allergic effect, so even with a strong immune system, malaise appears. In Russia, death from the bites of the common hornet has been recorded only a few times in the history of observations. Largest quantity deaths are caused by giant hornets in Asia.

The sting for hornets is a weapon of defense. It is a modified ovipositor connected to a gland that produces a toxin. The absence of notches makes it easy to remove the weapon from the wound. The introduction of poison occurs through muscle contraction. How does a hornet sting? It pierces the enemy's skin and injects a drop of toxin. The presence of a substance that acts on nerve endings causes instant pain. At the time of the bite, the insect does not use up its entire supply of poison. Otherwise, it will remain unarmed during the next attack. It takes some time for the poison to recover.

Attention. Bites in the neck area of the mouth are especially dangerous; they cause swelling of the larynx and block breathing. Due to immature immunity, children are at greater risk than adults.

For hunting, insects use their jaws, tearing prey with them. The production of potent poison and a long, strong sting indicate that they often have to repel enemy attacks on the nest.

Danger to humans - myth or reality?

The behavior of the common hornet differs significantly depending on the distance from the nest. During flights for food for themselves, the queen and larvae, they behave peacefully. But, when a real or imaginary danger to the nest appears, the hornets mercilessly sting everyone who falls into the zone of their aggression. There are always several individuals on duty near the house for protection. In the event of an attack, they give a special alarm signal that gathers the whole family.

How dangerous are hornets to humans? The strong venom of insects when bitten causes an attack of pain. Unpleasant sensations and swelling may persist for several days. The symptoms are similar for all victims, only the intensity of the manifestation differs.

Insects jealously defend their nest, but with careful approach, you can monitor the life of the colony. The main thing is to remember a few rules of behavior:

do not make sudden movements;
do not touch the nest with your hands or a stick;
do not interfere with the flight of the hornets.

It is recommended to destroy the nests of the common hornet only if there is an increased danger in the neighborhood. For example, if it is located in a used room or next to an apiary. Predators are the worst enemies of bees and beekeepers. People with hypersensitivity to poison should get rid of the neighborhood, otherwise they will be in danger. In general, large wasps are peaceful neighbors, which will also help with the destruction of pests.