Asian Giant Hornet

The Biggest Animals Kingdom and in The World | Asian Giant Hornet | The Asian Giant Hornet is today listed as a species that is Threatened from extinction in the near future, should the circumstances surrounding its survival not change. Despite their dominance in their natural environments, the Asian Giant Hornet populations are being severely affected by habitat loss is certain areas, predominantly in the form of deforestation.

The Asian Giant Hornet is the largest species of Hornet in the world with some queens reaching more than 5cm in length. They are found throughout Eastern Asia, particularly in Japan where they are commonly known as the Giant Sparrow Bee.

This Wasp species is larger than any other with average Asian Giant Hornets growing to between 2.7cm and 4.5cm in length, with a wingspan of around 7cm. The queens can grow to 5.5cm but are similar in appearance to the worker Hornets with an orange head, black mandibles and a black and golden body.

The nest is founded by a fertilised female (known as the queen) who selects a suitably sheltered site such as the hollow trunk of a tree, where she begins to build herself a nest out of chewed up bark. Wasp nests contain a series of single cells which together create the well-known honeycomb affect.

The Asian Giant Hornet is a dominant predator within its environment, mainly hunting other insects, particularly Bees. Asian Giant Hornets are also commonly known to kill larger Insects such as Preying Mantises and even other Wasps and Hornets. Adult Asian Giant Hornets are unable to digest solid proteins and instead only eat the fluids from their victims. 

They are also known to feed their catch to their larvae (particularly the Honeybee Larvae) in the form of a regurgitated paste. The Larvae then secrete a clear liquid which the adults consume, and is thought to give them a bit of an energy boost. Asian Giant Hornets predominantly use their mandibles rather than their powerful stingers in order to secure their prey.

Asian Giant Hornet Facts

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Arthropoda

Class: Insecta

Order: Hymenoptera

Family: Vespidae

Genus: Vespa

Scientific Name: Vespa mandarinia

Common Name: Asian Giant Hornet

Other Name(s): Giant Sparrow Bee

Find The Biggest Animals Kingdom and in The World

Find The Biggest Animals Kingdom and in The World

<