that is the most terrifying thing i have seen recently
packed full of protein.
From what I have heard about them...one or two can wipe out a hive of bees. Sometimes the bees wound it...then the bees pile all around the hornet and beat their wings ferociously to raise their body temp and kill the hornet by heat.
Yeah, unless that thing is dead, I don’t know how you can hold one!
Giant Asian Hornet found near Blaine. Just great.
I work out in the woods quite a bit in Washington state. Stepping on or near a ground wasp nest usually results in a few stings which don’t affect me much. Effects vary among my helpers. I flag the area off and usually if you avoid it by 4 feet you can work the rest of the day without bothering them (and they won’t bother you.)
Last year down in Oregon we came across a huge nest with all sorts of different holes. They chased us for 200 feet before we lost them. Previous ones in Washington state you run 20 feet and that is good enough. We had to put off work in that area after we first stepped in it until the next day. And then had to stay 20+ feet away from it.
The entire area was a tree farm, and the wasps were all over the trees collecting pollen or whatever. You could brush up against them and they paid no attention to you. But get near their nest....
After reading this article, I hope I never stumble into one of these Asian Hornet nests out in the woods. Hornet implies a paper nest up in a tree - so hopefully that is the case. We don’t end up bothering them.