[music playing]
NARRATOR: In the
lowland forests of Asia,
there's an insect with a
frightening reputation,
the biggest wasp on the
planet, the giant hornet.
About as big as a matchbox,
and one of the most venomous
insects in the world,
this massive hornet
can kill with its sting.
A quarter-inch long stinger
injects a complex enzyme
mixture that destroys tissue.
This is similar to other wasps,
but unique to the giant hornet
is a neurotoxin that shuts
down the nervous system.
In a human, an allergic
reaction can cause
anaphylaxis shock and kill.
A giant hornet colony lives for
only six months of the year,
but during that time they
kill an average of 40 people.
They live throughout much of
Asia, from India to Japan.
Like most wasps, giant hornets
are intensely predatory,
gorging themselves
on other insects,
like this praying mantis.
[music playing]
A worker hornet chops up her
prey with powerful mandibles,
but she doesn't kill to
satiate her own appetite.
She chewed up her catch
into a gooey substance
and then brings the
meal back to the hive
to feed hundreds
of voracious young.
During the summer,
the giant hornets
constantly seek out food.
This scout discovers
a large honeybee hive
and marks it with a
pheromone secreted
from glands in its back legs.
It's a signal to attack.
The pheromone attracts
other giant hornets
to the hive, where they
begin their assault.
But their success doesn't
depend on their numbers.
Just one of these
hornets can kill
over 300 honeybees in an hour.
The honeybees instinctively
defend their hive,
but they are no match against
a giant five times their size.
Within hours, the small
troupe of giant wasps
slaughters almost 30,000 bees,
decimating the entire colony.
The wasps return to their
hive with their spoils,
valuable protein for
the next generation
of these killer insects.
