Hornets kill about 70 people in Japan, every year.
30 hornets can kill 30.000 bees in three hours.
A hornets’ nest can weigh up to a ton.
Just a few fun facts about beasts from Japan by my colleague Matjaž who is currently working, where?, in Japan!
Hornets
August 9, 2011 | 1 Comment
August 10, 2011 at 10:01
vespa mandarina japonica aka japanese giant hornet is a flying torpedo, spreading fear among… basically all leaving creatures on that far east island. why? this wiki quote offers a petty descriptive insight into the hornet’s character: “The hornets not only kill the bees [european], but also dismember them, leaving heads and limbs behind, to finally return to their nest with the bee thoraxes which they feed to their larvae. The hornets also gorge themselves on the bees’ honey”
logically bee-keepers hate them. but killing the hornets is not just an ongoing act of protecting the business but also a triumph: hornets are therefore eaten, raw (sashimi) or fried (fried bees, japanese also eat them, taste fantastic, hornets shouldnt be much different), its also common to drown alive hornet into the fresh honey. the price for that tempting dish can be pretty high, up to 150€ for 0,25l of quality honey with hornets. but hey, it is an aphrodisiac.