The Asian giant hornet (''Vespa mandarinia'') or northern giant hornet, including the color form referred to as the Japanese giant hornet, is the world's largest

hornet Hornets (insects in the genus ''Vespa'') are the largest of the eusocial wasps, and are similar in appearance to their close relatives yellowjackets. Some species can reach up to in length. They are distinguished from other vespine wasps by t ...

. It is native to temperate and tropical

East Asia East Asia is the eastern region of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The modern states of East Asia include China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan. China, North Korea, South Korea ...

South Asia South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The region consists of the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.;;;;; ...

Mainland Southeast Asia Mainland Southeast Asia, also known as the Indochinese Peninsula or Indochina, is the continental portion of Southeast Asia. It lies east of the Indian subcontinent and south of Mainland China and is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the west an ...

, and parts of the

Russian Far East The Russian Far East (russian: Дальний Восток России, r=Dal'niy Vostok Rossii, p=ˈdalʲnʲɪj vɐˈstok rɐˈsʲiɪ) is a region in Northeast Asia. It is the easternmost part of Russia and the Asian continent; and is admin ...

. It was also found in the

Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (sometimes Cascadia, or simply abbreviated as PNW) is a geographic region in western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Thou ...

of North America in late 2019 with a few more additional sightings in 2020, and nests found in 2021, prompting concern that it could become an

invasive species An invasive species otherwise known as an alien is an introduced organism that becomes overpopulated and harms its new environment. Although most introduced species are neutral or beneficial with respect to other species, invasive species adv ...

. There were no confirmed sightings at all in 2022, however, by the end of the season in November, suggesting the wasps may have been eradicated. Asian giant hornets prefer to live in low

mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher ...

s and

forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

s, while almost completely avoiding

plain In geography, a plain is a flat expanse of land that generally does not change much in elevation, and is primarily treeless. Plains occur as lowlands along valleys or at the base of mountains, as coastal plains, and as plateaus or uplands ...

s and high-altitude climates. ''V. mandarinia'' creates nests by digging, co-opting pre-existing tunnels dug by rodents, or occupying spaces near rotten pine roots. It feeds primarily on larger insects, colonies of other

eusocial Eusociality (from Greek εὖ ''eu'' "good" and social), the highest level of organization of sociality, is defined by the following characteristics: cooperative brood care (including care of offspring from other individuals), overlapping gen ...

insects, tree sap, and honey from honey bee colonies. The hornet has a body length of , a

wingspan The wingspan (or just span) of a bird or an airplane is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777–200 has a wingspan of , and a wandering albatross (''Diomedea exulans'') caught in 1965 had a wingspan o ...

around , and a

stinger A stinger (or sting) is a sharp organ found in various animals (typically insects and other arthropods) capable of injecting venom, usually by piercing the epidermis of another animal. An insect sting is complicated by its introduction of ve ...

long, which injects a large amount of potent venom.

Taxonomy and phylogeny

Vespa Mandarinia Magnifica - Filippo Turetta

''V. mandarinia'' is a species in the genus ''

Vespa Vespa () is an Italian luxury brand of scooters and mopeds manufactured by Piaggio. The name means wasp in Italian. The Vespa has evolved from a single model motor scooter manufactured in 1946 by Piaggio & Co. S.p.A. of Pontedera, Italy t ...

'', which comprises all true hornets. Along with seven other species, ''V. mandarinia'' is a part of the '' V. tropica'' species group, defined by the single notch located on the

apical Apical means "pertaining to an apex". It may refer to: *Apical ancestor, refers to the last common ancestor of an entire group, such as a species (biology) or a clan (anthropology) *Apical (anatomy), an anatomical term of location for features loc ...

margin of the seventh gastral sternum of the male. The most closely related species within the species group is '' V. soror''. The triangular shape of the apical margin of the clypeus of the female is diagnostic, the vertex of both species is enlarged, and the shape of the apex of the

aedeagus An aedeagus (plural aedeagi) is a reproductive organ of male arthropods through which they secrete sperm from the testes during copulation with a female. It can be thought of as the insect equivalent of a mammal's penis, though the comparison i ...

is distinct and similar. Division of the genus into subgenera has been attempted in the past, but has been abandoned, due to the anatomical similarity among species and because behavioral similarity is not associated with phylogeny. The species has been around since the Miocene as indicated by fossils found in Shanwang formation. As of 2012, three subspecies were recognized: ''V. m. mandarinia'', ''V. m. magnifica'', and ''V. m. nobilis''. The former subspecies referred to as ''V. m. japonica'' has not been considered valid since 1997. The most recent revision in 2020 eliminated all of the subspecies rankings entirely, with "japonica", "magnifica", and "nobilis" now relegated to informal non-taxonomic names for different color forms.

Common names

Since its discovery in North America, the scientific literature and official government sources refer to this species by its established common name, Asian giant hornet, whilst the

mainstream media In journalism, mainstream media (MSM) is a term and abbreviation used to refer collectively to the various large mass news media that influence many people and both reflect and shape prevailing currents of thought. Chomsky, Noam, ''"What makes ma ...

have taken to using the nickname "murder hornet". In July 2022, the

Entomological Society of America The Entomological Society of America (ESA) was founded in 1889 and today has more than 7,000 members, including educators, extension personnel, consultants, students, researchers, and scientists from agricultural departments, health agencies, ...

stated that they will adopt the common name northern giant hornet for the species.

Description

Regardless of sex, the hornet's head is a light shade of orange and its antennae are brown with a yellow-orange base. Its eyes and

ocelli A simple eye (sometimes called a pigment pit) refers to a form of eye or an optical arrangement composed of a single lens and without an elaborate retina such as occurs in most vertebrates. In this sense "simple eye" is distinct from a multi-l ...

are dark brown to black. ''V. mandarinia'' is distinguished from other hornets by its pronounced clypeus and large genae. Its orange mandible contains a black tooth that it uses for digging. The

thorax The thorax or chest is a part of the anatomy of humans, mammals, and other tetrapod animals located between the neck and the abdomen. In insects, crustaceans, and the extinct trilobites, the thorax is one of the three main divisions of the c ...

is dark brown, with two grey wings varying in span from . Its fore legs are brighter than the mid and hind legs. The base of the fore legs is darker than the rest. The abdomen alternates between bands of dark brown or black, and a yellow-orange hue (consistent with its head color). The sixth segment is yellow. Its stinger is typically long and delivers a potent venom that in cases of multiple hornets stinging simultaneously can kill a human.

Queens and workers

The queens are considerably larger than workers. Queens can exceed , while workers are between . The reproductive anatomy is consistent between the two, but workers do not reproduce.

Drones

Drones (males) are similar to females, and can attain in length, but lack stingers. This is a consistent feature among the

Hymenoptera Hymenoptera is a large order of insects, comprising the sawflies, wasps, bees, and ants. Over 150,000 living species of Hymenoptera have been described, in addition to over 2,000 extinct ones. Many of the species are parasitic. Females typic ...

Larvae

Larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. ...

e spin a silk cocoon when they complete development and are ready to pupate. Larval silk proteins have a wide variety of potential applications due to their wide variety of potential morphologies, including the native fiber form, but also sponge, film, and gel.

Genome

The mitochondrial genome is provided by Chen ''et al.'', 2015. This data has also been important to confirm the place of the wider

Vespidae The Vespidae are a large (nearly 5000 species), diverse, cosmopolitan family of wasps, including nearly all the known eusocial wasps (such as ''Polistes fuscatus'', ''Vespa orientalis'', and ''Vespula germanica'') and many solitary wasps. Each ...

family in the

Vespoidea Vespoidea is a superfamily of wasps in the order Hymenoptera, although older taxonomic schemes may vary in this categorization, particularly in whether to recognize the superfamilies Scolioidea (for scoliid wasps) or Formicoidea (for ants). V ...

superfamily, and confirms that Vespoidea is

monophyletic In cladistics for a group of organisms, monophyly is the condition of being a clade—that is, a group of taxa composed only of a common ancestor (or more precisely an ancestral population) and all of its lineal descendants. Monophyletic gr ...

. {{ Unbulleted list citebundle , This review... , {{* {{ Cite journal , language = en , year = 2021 , volume = 46 , pages = 72–77 , title = Emerging patterns in social wasp invasions , last = Rankin , first = Erin , journal = Current Opinion in Insect Science , doi = 10.1016/j.cois.2021.02.014 , pmid = 33667693 , publisher =

Elsevier Elsevier () is a Dutch academic publishing company specializing in scientific, technical, and medical content. Its products include journals such as '' The Lancet'', '' Cell'', the ScienceDirect collection of electronic journals, '' Trends'', ...

, issn = 2214-5745 , ...cites this study: , {{* {{ Cite journal , publisher =

Informa Healthcare Informa plc is a British publishing, business intelligence, and exhibitions group based in London, England. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. It has offices in 43 countries and around 11 ...

, journal =

Mitochondrial DNA Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA or mDNA) is the DNA located in mitochondria, cellular organelles within eukaryotic cells that convert chemical energy from food into a form that cells can use, such as adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Mitochondrial D ...

, issn = 1940-1736 , eissn = 1940-1744 , department = Mitogenome Announcement , language = en , year = 2015 , first3 = Jing , first2 = Jun , first1 = Yan , last3 = Liu , last2 = Wei , last1 = Chen , title = The mitochondrial genome of the ''Vespa mandarinia'' Smith (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Vespinae) and a phylogenetic analysis of the Vespoidea , doi = 10.3109/19401736.2015.1089550 , s2cid = 3858313 , pmid = 26487370

Misidentifications

Within two days of the initial 2020 news report on ''V. mandarinia'', insect identification centers in the eastern United States (where the wasp does not occur) began getting identification requests, and have been swamped ever since, even though not one of the thousands of submitted photos or samples has been of ''V. mandarinia'', but have instead primarily been wasps such as the

European hornet The European hornet (''Vespa crabro'') is the largest eusocial wasp native to Europe. It is also the only true hornet (genus ''Vespa'') found in North America, having been introduced to the United States and Canada from Europe as early as 1840. ...

(''V. crabro''), the eastern cicada killer (''

Sphecius speciosus ''Sphecius speciosus'', often simply referred to as the cicada killer or the cicada hawk, is a large, solitary digger wasp species in the family Crabronidae. The name may be applied to any species of crabronid that preys on cicadas, though in No ...

''), or the southern yellowjacket ('' Vespula squamosa'').Michael J Skvarla, Matthew A Bertone, Patrick J Liesch (2022) Murder Hornet Mayhem: The Impact of the 2020 Giant Hornet Panic and COVID-19 Pandemic on Arthropod Identification Laboratories. American Entomologist 68(2): 38–43, https://doi.org/10.1093/ae/tmac029AGH and look-alikes; WSDA
/ref> Submissions suspected by laymen to be ''V. mandarinia'' also include other wasps of various sizes, bees,

sawflies Sawflies are the insects of the suborder Symphyta within the order Hymenoptera, alongside ants, bees, and wasps. The common name comes from the saw-like appearance of the ovipositor, which the females use to cut into the plants where they lay ...

, horntails, wasp-mimicking flies, beetles, Jerusalem crickets,

cicada The cicadas () are a superfamily, the Cicadoidea, of insects in the order Hemiptera (true bugs). They are in the suborder Auchenorrhyncha, along with smaller jumping bugs such as leafhoppers and froghoppers. The superfamily is divided into tw ...

s, and even a plastic children’s toy that was wasp-like in appearance, all of which were routinely estimated to be 130-185% of their actual size. Reports of this species from other parts of the world appear to be erroneous identifications of other introduced hornet species, such as '' V. orientalis'' in several locations around the world, and '' V. velutina'' in Europe.

Distribution

Ecological distribution

''V. mandarinia'' is primarily a forest dweller. When it does live in urban landscapes, however, ''V. mandarinia'' is highly associated with green space. It is the most dependent upon green space of the ''Vespa'' species (with ''V. analis'' the least). Extremely urbanized areas thus provide a refuge for ''V. analis'', whereas ''V. mandarinia'' – its predator – is entirely absent.

Geographic distribution

Asia

The Asian giant hornet can be found in: *

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...

–

Primorsky Krai Primorsky Krai (russian: Приморский край, r=Primorsky kray, p=prʲɪˈmorskʲɪj kraj), informally known as Primorye (, ), is a federal subject (a krai) of Russia, located in the Far East region of the country and is a part of t ...

, Khabarovsky Krai (southern part only), and

Jewish Autonomous Oblast The Jewish Autonomous Oblast (JAO; russian: Евре́йская автоно́мная о́бласть, (ЕАО); yi, ייִדישע אװטאָנאָמע געגנט, ; )In standard Yiddish: , ''Yidishe Oytonome Gegnt'' is a federal subject ...

region *

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic ...

(where it is called {{lang, ko, 장수말벌 "

general A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". O ...

giant bee, general hornet") *

Mainland China "Mainland China" is a geopolitical term defined as the territory governed by the China, People's Republic of China (including islands like Hainan or Chongming Island, Chongming), excluding dependent territories of the PRC, and other territorie ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the no ...

({{zh, t=大虎頭蜂, s=大虎头蜂, first=t, l=giant tiger head bee) *

Laos Laos (, ''Lāo'' )), officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic ( Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ, French: République démocratique populaire lao), is a socialist s ...

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...

Cambodia Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailand ...

Myanmar Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making ...

Nepal Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is ma ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...

– It is common in Japan. It prefers rural areas where it can find trees in which to nest, and is known as the {{nihongo, ''ōsuzumebachi'', オオスズメバチ({{linktext, 大雀蜂), , literally, "giant sparrow bee, giant hornet". At least as early as 2008, some popular and sensationalist media outlets in Japan also began referring to this wasp as {{nihongo, ''satsujin suzumebachi'', 殺人スズメバチ, , literally, "murder hornet".

North America

The first confirmed sightings of the Asian giant hornet in North America were confirmed in 2019 and have mainly been concentrated in the

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the city, up from 631,486 in 2016. ...

area, with nests also discovered in neighboring

Whatcom County, Washington Whatcom County is a county located in the northwestern corner of the U.S. state of Washington, bordered by the Canadian Lower Mainland (the Metro Vancouver and Fraser Valley Regional Districts of British Columbia) to the north, Okanogan ...

, in the United States. * In August 2019, three hornets were found in

Nanaimo Nanaimo ( ) is a city on the east coast of Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada. As of the 2021 census, it had a population of 99,863, and it is known as "The Harbour City." The city was previously known as the "Hub City," which was ...

Vancouver Island Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are of land. The island is the largest by ...

, and a large nest was found and destroyed shortly thereafter; * At the end of September, a worker was reported in

Blaine, Washington Blaine is a city in Whatcom County, Washington, United States. The city's northern boundary is the Canada–U.S. border; the Peace Arch international monument straddles the border of both countries. The population was 5,884 at the 2020 censu ...

.{{cite web , url=http://agr.wa.gov/departments/insects-pests-and-weeds/insects/hornets/data , title=Confirmed Asian giant hornet detections , website=

Washington State Department of Agriculture The Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) is a cabinet-level agency in the government of Washington which regulates, advocates, and provides services for the state's agricultural industry. The agency was established in 1913 and is he ...

* Another worker was found in Blaine in October; * On 8 December 2019, another worker was found in Blaine; * Two specimens were collected in May 2020, one from Langley, British Columbia, about {{convert, 8, mi, km, 0, order=flip, abbr=off north of Blaine, and one from Custer, Washington, {{convert, 9, mi, km, order=flip, abbr=on southeast of Blaine. * One queen sighting on 6 June 2020, from

Bellingham, Washington Bellingham ( ) is the most populous city in, and county seat of Whatcom County in the U.S. state of Washington. It lies south of the U.S.–Canada border in between two major cities of the Pacific Northwest: Vancouver, British Columbia (loc ...

, {{convert, 15, mi, km, order=flip, abbr=on south of Custer * An unmated queen was trapped on 14 July 2020, near

Birch Bay, Washington Birch Bay is a protected bay of the east shore of the Salish Sea, between Semiahmoo Bay and Lummi Bay; approximately north of Seattle and south of Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland ...

, {{convert, 6, mi, km, 0, order=flip, abbr=on west of Custer. * A male hornet was captured in Custer, Washington on 29 July 2020. * A hornet of unknown caste was reported on 18 August 2020, in

Birch Bay Birch Bay is a protected bay of the east shore of the Salish Sea, between Semiahmoo Bay and Lummi Bay; approximately north of Seattle and south of Vancouver, BC, Canada. The bay gives its name to a census-designated place (CDP) along the bay' ...

, and another was trapped in the same area the following day. * Three hornets were seen (and two killed) southeast of Blaine on 21 and 25 September 2020, and three more were found in the same area on 29 and 30 September, prompting officials to report that attempts were underway to pinpoint and destroy a nest believed to be in the area.{{ cite web , url=http://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/03/us/murder-hornets-colony-Washington-state.html , title=Washington State Officials Hunt for Colony of 'Murder Hornets' , newspaper=

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

, date=3 October 2020 * On 23 October 2020, the

announced that a nest was found {{convert, 8.3, ft, m, order=flip above ground in a cavity of a tree in Blaine, with dozens of hornets entering and leaving.{{cite news , last1=Geranios , first1=Nicholas , title=Washington state discovers first 'murder hornet' nest in US , url=https://apnews.com/article/washington-first-murder-hornet-discovery-0cbf9cccf5a4a62902aa880c87629172 , access-date=23 October 2020 , website=

AP News The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. new ...

, date=23 October 2020 The nest was eradicated the next day, including the immediate discovery and removal of about 100 hornets.{{cite news , last1=Geranios , first1=Nicholas , title=Scientists remove 98 'murder hornets' in Washington state , url=https://apnews.com/article/scientists-remove-98-murder-hornets-616a95fe52901a21e2e018a7b2a4a1e5 , access-date=26 October 2020 , website=

, date=26 October 2020{{ cite web , url=http://wastatedeptag.blogspot.com/2020/10/AGHNestRemoval.html , title=Stirring up a hornet nest – safely , website=

, first=Karla , last=Salp , date=30 October 2020 , access-date=3 November 2020 At first the owner of the land required the nest to be returned, and he advertised it for sale. A local

beekeeper A beekeeper is a person who keeps honey bees. Beekeepers are also called honey farmers, apiarists, or less commonly, apiculturists (both from the Latin '' apis'', bee; cf. apiary). The term beekeeper refers to a person who keeps honey bees i ...

bought it from him and gifted it back to the state entomology team. {{ Cite magazine , year = 2022 , first = Douglas , last = Main , publisher =

National Geographic Society The National Geographic Society (NGS), headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States, is one of the largest non-profit scientific and educational organizations in the world. Founded in 1888, its interests include geography, archaeology, ...

, magazine =

National Geographic ''National Geographic'' (formerly the ''National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as NAT GEO) is a popular American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. Known for its photojournalism, it is one of the most widel ...

, url = https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/untold-story-first-american-murder-hornet-hive , title = The untold, dramatic story behind the discovery of America’s first murder hornet nest After further analysis, it was determined that the nest had contained about 500 live specimens, including about 200 queens.{{cite web , url=https://www.tvw.org/watch/?eventID=2020111061 , website= TVW , date=10 November 2020 , title=Washington State Department of Agriculture Press Conference , access-date=11 November 2020{{cite web , url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/murder-hornet-nest-nearly-200-queens-destroyed-nick-of-time/ , title='Murder hornet' nest with nearly 200 queens destroyed 'in the nick of time' , website=

CBS News CBS News is the news division of the American television and radio service CBS. CBS News television programs include the '' CBS Evening News'', '' CBS Mornings'', news magazine programs '' CBS News Sunday Morning'', '' 60 Minutes'', and '' 4 ...

, date=11 November 2020 , access-date=11 November 2020 , author= Some of these specimens were sent to the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Found ...

to become a part of the NMNH Biorepository permanent cryogenic collection.{{cite web , last=Eisenstadt , first=Abigail , title=Family Members Follow Original Asian Giant Hornet to Smithsonian , website=

Smithsonian Magazine ''Smithsonian'' is the official journal published by the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. The first issue was published in 1970. History The history of ''Smithsonian'' began when Edward K. Thompson, the retired editor of ''Life'' mag ...

, publisher=

, date=2020-11-17 , url=http://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/national-museum-of-natural-history/2020/11/17/family-members-follow-original-asian-giant-hornet-smithsonian/ , access-date=2020-11-18{{cite web , title=Frozen 'murder hornets' shipped across the country for further study , website=

KATU KATU (channel 2) is a television station in Portland, Oregon, United States, affiliated with ABC. It is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group alongside La Grande–licensed Univision affiliate KUNP (channel 16). Both stations share studios on N ...

, date=2020-11-17 , url=http://katu.com/news/local/frozen-murder-hornets-shipped-across-the-country-for-further-study , access-date=2020-11-18 It was announced that several undiscovered live nests were also believed to exist within Washington State, when considering the captures of individual hornets in Birch, Blaine, and Custer that were all relatively far from the discovered nest.{{cite web , title='Murder hornets': More nests likely to be found in US , website=

BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broadc ...

, date=11 November 2020 , url=http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-54910098 , access-date=2020-11-12 However, cautious optimism was expressed by officials saying that it might still be possible to eradicate the hornets before they can become established in the area. A Canadian official said that although individual specimens had been found in Canada and some nests were suspected to exist there, the presence there seemed to be only in near-border regions, and the center of the invasion seemed to be in Washington State. * On 2 November 2020, one individual was found in

Abbotsford, BC Abbotsford is a city located in British Columbia, adjacent to the Canada–United States border, Greater Vancouver and the Fraser River. With an estimated population of 153,524 people it is the largest municipality in the province outside metro ...

.{{cite web , title=B.C. beekeepers and residents asked to keep lookout after discovery of another Asian giant hornet , website= CBC , date=3 November 2020 , url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/murder-hornet-bc-1.5788477 , access-date=4 November 2020{{cite web , first=Harrison , last=Mooney , title=Residents alerted after 'murder hornet' found in Abbotsford , website=

Vancouver Sun The ''Vancouver Sun'', also known as the ''Sun'', is a daily broadsheet newspaper based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The newspaper is currently published by the Pacific Newspaper Group, a division of Postmedia Network. Published s ...

, date=3 November 2020 , url=http://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/residents-alerted-after-murder-hornet-found-in-abbotsford , access-date=4 November 2020{{cite web , first=Jon , last=Azpiri , title='Murder hornet' spotted in Abbotsford, B.C. , website=

Global News Global News is the news and current affairs division of the Canadian Global Television Network. The network is owned by Corus Entertainment, which oversees all of the network's national news programming as well as local news on its 21 owned-an ...

, date=3 November 2020 , url=http://globalnews.ca/news/7440071/murder-hornet-abbotsford-bc/ , access-date=4 November 2020{{cite web , title="Murder hornet" discovered in Abbotsford neighbourhood , website=Daily Hive Vancouver , date=3 November 2020 , url=http://dailyhive.com/vancouver/asian-giant-murder-hornet-abbotsford , access-date=4 November 2020 As a result the BC government asked Abbotsford beekeepers and residents to report any sightings.{{cite web , title=Asian giant hornet found in Abbotsford , website=Province of British Columbia News Archive , date=3 November 2020 , url=http://archive.news.gov.bc.ca/releases/news_releases_2017-2021/2020AGRI0056-001909.htm , access-date=4 November 2020{{cite web , last=Georgiou , first=Aristos , title=Murder hornets discovered 100 miles from Seattle as invasion of North America continues , website=Newsweek , date=2020-11-09 , url=http://www.newsweek.com/murder-hornets-100-miles-seattle-invasion-1546045 , access-date=9 November 2020 * On 7 November 2020, a queen was found in

Aldergrove, BC Aldergrove is a community in the Township of Langley within British Columbia, Canada, approximately east of Vancouver. The community is urban in nature and, although not incorporated as a town, is often referred to as one. Aldergrove is located ...

.{{cite web , author= jonazpiri , title=Another 'murder hornet' spotted in B.C. – BC , website=

, date=10 November 2020 , url=http://globalnews.ca/news/7455482/bc-murder-hornet-sighting-aldergrove/ , access-date=2020-11-13{{cite web , last=Daflos , first=Penny , title=Residents find queen 'murder hornet' in B.C.'s Fraser Valley as ministry traps sit empty , website=

CTV News CTV News is the news division of the CTV Television Network in Canada. The name ''CTV News'' is also applied as the title of local and regional newscasts on the network's owned-and-operated stations (O&Os), which are closely tied to the national ...

, date=12 November 2020 , url=http://bc.ctvnews.ca/residents-find-queen-murder-hornet-in-b-c-s-fraser-valley-as-ministry-traps-sit-empty-1.5185024 , access-date=2020-11-13{{cite web , last=Mangione , first=Kendra , title=2 'murder hornets' found about 5 kilometres apart within 5 days in B.C. , website=

, date=10 November 2020 , url=http://bc.ctvnews.ca/2-murder-hornets-found-about-5-kilometres-apart-within-5-days-in-b-c-1.5183111 , access-date=2020-11-13{{cite web , title=Another 'murder hornet' discovered in B.C.'s Fraser Valley , website=

, date=2020-11-03 , url=http://bc.ctvnews.ca/another-murder-hornet-discovered-in-b-c-s-fraser-valley-1.5173292 , access-date=2020-11-13{{cite web , last=Claxton , first=Matthew , title=Asian giant "murder hornets" found in Brookswood , website=

Aldergrove Star ''Aldergrove Star'' is a newspaper in Aldergrove, British Columbia. The original title of the paper was Aldergrove Herald and it was started on 16 October 1957. From then on the paper was renamed many times: ''Aldergrove News'' (27 February 1958 � ...

, date=28 May 2020 , url=http://www.aldergrovestar.com/news/asian-giant-murder-hornets-found-in-brookswood/ , access-date=2020-11-13{{cite web, url=http://www.agcanada.com/daily/two-more-murder-hornets-turn-up-on-b-c-mainland, title=Two more 'murder hornets' turn up on B.C. mainland, website= AgCanada * On 11 August 2021, a nest was discovered in Whatcom County,

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

near Blaine, only {{convert, 2, mi, km from the nest WSDA eradicated in 2020.{{cite web , title=STATE ENTOMOLOGISTS CONFIRM THE FIRST LIVE ASIAN GIANT HORNET SIGHTING OF 2021 , website=

, date=2020-09-08 , url=http://agr.wa.gov/about-wsda/news-and-media-relations/news-releases?article=32673 , access-date=2021-08-13 This nest was destroyed two weeks later on 25 August, before it could produce new queens.{{cite web, url=https://agr.wa.gov/about-wsda/news-and-media-relations/news-releases?article=32789, title=State eradicates first Asian giant hornet nest of 2021, asks public to continue reporting * In September 2021, two more nests were found near Blaine, in the vicinity of the nest found in August, and a "potential sighting" was reported from near Everson, some 25 miles east of Blaine. A

mitochondrial DNA Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA or mDNA) is the DNA located in mitochondria, cellular organelles within eukaryotic cells that convert chemical energy from food into a form that cells can use, such as adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Mitochondrial D ...

analysis was performed to determine the maternal population(s) ancestral to the British Columbia and Washington introduced populations.p.{{nbs2, "Complete mitochondrial DNA was sequenced with Illumina’s MiSeq platform (ILLUMINA, United States)." The high dissimilarity between these two was similar to the mutual distances between each of the Chinese, Japanese, and Korean native populationsp.{{nbs3, "These genetic differences corresponded to the values found between native ''V. mandarinia'' from Japan, South Korea, and China." suggesting the specimens collected in 2019 were from two different maternal populations,p.{{nbs3-4, "A high pairwise distance of 0.0071 was also confirmed between the 13 PCGs of mitochondrial DNA sequences of ''V. mandarinia'' specimens from the United States and Canada, suggesting that the hornets differ in maternal origin (Table 1). ... The ML tree also revealed that ''V. mandarinia'' from the United States and Canada were not monophyletic (Fig. 2). Molecular phylogenetic analysis of the mitochondrial genomes revealed that ''V. mandarinia'' from the United States was genetically distant from that of Canada. ... The observed genetic differences between the Canada and U.S. mitochondrial genomes suggest that the two ''V. mandarinia'' specimens introduced to western N. America during or prior to 2019 are derived from different maternal lineages." Japanese in BCp.{{nbs4, "The mitochondrial genome of ... the Canadian ''V. mandarinia'' was most genetically similar to the Japanese ''V. mandarinia'' used in this study." and South Korean in Washington.p.{{nbs4, "The mitochondrial genome of the specimen collected from Blaine, WA shared 99.5% sequence homology to the specimen characterized from South Korea," This suggests that two separate introductions of the Asian giant hornet occurred in North America within about {{convert, 50, mi, km, sigfig=1, order=flip, abbr=on of one another within a few months. In April 2020, authorities in Washington asked members of the public to be alert and report any sightings of these hornets, which are expected to become active in April if they are in the area. If they become established, the hornets "could decimate bee populations in the United States and establish such a deep presence that all hope for eradication could be lost." A "full-scale hunt" for the species by the WSDA was then underway. Two assessment models of their potential to spread from their present location on the US–Canada border suggested that they could spread northward into coastal

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, for ...

and

Southeast Alaska Southeast Alaska, colloquially referred to as the Alaska(n) Panhandle, is the southeastern portion of the U.S. state of Alaska, bordered to the east and north by the northern half of the Canadian province of British Columbia (and a small part ...

, and southward as far as southern

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

. The USDA's

Agricultural Research Service The Agricultural Research Service (ARS) is the principal in-house research agency of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). ARS is one of four agencies in USDA's Research, Education and Economics mission area. ARS is charged with ext ...

is engaged in lure/

attractant An attractant is any chemical that attracts an organism, e.g. i) synthetic lures; ii) aggregation and sex pheromones (intraspecific interactions); and iii) synomone (interspecific interactions) Synomone An interspecific semiochemical that is b ...

development and

molecular genetics Molecular genetics is a sub-field of biology that addresses how differences in the structures or expression of DNA molecules manifests as variation among organisms. Molecular genetics often applies an "investigative approach" to determine the ...

research, both as part of its normal research mission, but also to further the near-term eradication goal in Washington.{{cite web , title=ARS Takes On the Asian Giant Hornet , website= USDA ARS AgResearch Magazine , url=http://tellus.ars.usda.gov/stories/articles/ars-takes-on-the-asian-giant-hornet/ , access-date=2020-11-18 In 2020, the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is Bicameralism, bicameral, composed of a lower body, the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives, and an upper body, ...

considered specific legislation to eradicate ''V. mandarinia'' including a proposal by the

Interior Secretary The United States secretary of the interior is the head of the United States Department of the Interior. The secretary and the Department of the Interior are responsible for the management and conservation of most federal land along with natur ...

, the Fish and Wildlife Director, and the other relevant agencies, which has been introduced as an amendment to the appropriations omnibus. British Columbia Agriculture is prepared for a "long fight" lasting years, if necessary. One advantage humans will have is the lack of diversity of such an invasive population – leaving the hornets less prepared for novel environments and challenges. On June 4, 2021 a dead, desiccated male was found near Marysville,

Snohomish County Snohomish County () is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. With a population of 827,957 as of the 2020 census, it is the third-most populous county in Washington, after nearby King and Pierce counties, and the 75th-most populous ...

and reported to WSDA. Its different, more reddish color form immediately suggested yet another parental population from the Japanese and Korean ones already known, but DNA testing was needed. USDA APHIS (

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) based in Riverdale, Maryland responsible for protecting animal health, animal welfare, and plant health. APHIS is the lead ...

) did the analysis and a few days later together with WSDA confirmed it was of a third, unrelated population. The discovery of a male in June is "perplexing" given that the earliest male emergence in 2020 was July, which was already earlier than normal for the home range. This and its desiccated state indicate it did not emerge in 2021 at all, but is instead a dead specimen that had already emerged in a previous year.{{cite web , title=State and Federal Entomologists Confirm New Asian Giant Hornet Detection in Snohomish County , website=

, date=2021-06-16 , url=http://agr.wa.gov/about-wsda/news-and-media-relations/news-releases?article=32455 , access-date=2021-06-16 The WSDA announced in December 2022 that there were "no confirmed sightings" of the hornet in the state for that year.{{cite news , last1=Bartick , first1=Alex , title=No northern giant hornets found in Washington in 2022 , url=https://komonews.com/news/local/no-northern-giant-hornets-found-in-washington-in-2022-whatcom-county-british-columbia-washington-state-department-of-agriculture-murder-hornet-entomologists# , access-date=December 7, 2022 , work= KOMO News (Seattle, Washington) , date=December 6, 2022

Nesting

''V. mandarinia'' nests in low mountain foothills and lowland forests. As a particularly dominant species, no efforts are directed toward conserving ''V. mandarinia'' or its habitats, as they are common in areas of low human disturbance. Unlike other species of ''Vespa'', ''V. mandarinia'' almost exclusively inhabits subterranean nests {{ndash in 1978 it was still doubted that aerial nests were possible, as Matsuura and Sakagami reported this to be unknown in Japan in 1973{{cite journal , last1=Akre , first1=R D , last2=Davis , first2=H G , title=Biology and Pest Status of Venomous Wasps , journal=

Annual Review of Entomology The ''Annual Review of Entomology'' is a peer-reviewed academic journal that publishes review articles about entomology, the study of insects. First published in 1956 from a collaboration between the Entomological Society of America and Annual ...

, publisher= Annual Reviews , volume=23 , issue=1 , year=1978 , issn=0066-4170 , doi=10.1146/annurev.en.23.010178.001243 , pages=215–238, pmid=343706 and aerial nesting is still described as extremely rare in Japan, and yet {{as of, 2021, lc=yes all nests in the invasive range have been aerial.{{citation needed, date=October 2021 In a study of 31 nests, 25 were found around rotten pine roots, and another study found only 9 of 56 nests above ground. Additionally, rodents, snakes, or other

burrowing animals An Eastern chipmunk at the entrance of its burrow A burrow is a hole or tunnel excavated into the ground by an animal to construct a space suitable for habitation or temporary refuge, or as a byproduct of locomotion. Burrows provide a form of s ...

previously made some of the tunnels. The depth of these nests was between {{convert, 6, and, 60, cm, in, 0, abbr=on. The entrance at the ground surface varies in length from {{convert, 2, to, 60, cm, in, 0, abbr=on either horizontally, inclined, or vertically. The queens that found the nest prefer narrow cavities.{{cite journal , last1=Matsuura , first1=Makoto , last2=Sakagami , first2=Shôichi F. , title=A Bionomic Sketch of the Giant Hornet, ''Vespa mandarinia'', a Serious Pest for Japanese Apiculture (With 12 Text-figures and 5 Tables) , journal=北海道大學理學部紀要 , date=1973 , volume=19 , issue=1 , pages=125–162 , hdl=2115/27557 , s2cid=55398608 , publisher=北海道大學 (

Hokkaido University , or , is a Japanese national university in Sapporo, Hokkaido. It was the fifth Imperial University in Japan, which were established to be the nation's finest institutions of higher education or research. Hokkaido University is considered ...

) , trans-journal= Journal of the Faculty of Science Hokkaido University Series VI. Zoology Nests of ''V. mandarinia'' typically lack a developed envelope. During the initial stages of development, the envelope is in an inverted-bowl shape. As the nest develops, one to three rough sheets of combs are created. Often, single

primordial Primordial may refer to: * Primordial era, an era after the Big Bang. See Chronology of the universe * Primordial sea (a.k.a. primordial ocean, ooze or soup). See Abiogenesis * Primordial nuclide, nuclides, a few radioactive, that formed before t ...

combs are created simultaneously and then fused into a single comb. A system of one main pillar and secondary pillars connects the combs. Nests usually have four to seven combs. The top comb is abandoned after summer and left to rot. The largest comb is at the middle to bottom portion of the nest. The largest combs created by ''V. mandarinia'' measured {{convert, 49.5, by, 45.5, cm, in, frac=4, abbr=on with 1,192 cells (no obstacles, circular) and {{convert, 61.0, by, 48.0, cm, in, frac=2, abbr=on (elliptical; wrapped around a root system).

Colony cycle

The nesting cycle of ''V. mandarinia'' is fairly consistent with that of other eusocial insects. Six phases occur in each cycle.

Pre-nesting period

Inseminated and uninseminated queens enter hibernation following a cycle. They first appear in early to mid-April and begin feeding on the sap of ''

Quercus An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ...

'' (oak) trees. Although this timing is consistent among hornets, ''V. mandarinia'' dominates the order, receiving preference for premium sap sources. Among the ''V. mandarinia'' queens is a

dominance hierarchy In biology, a dominance hierarchy (formerly and colloquially called a pecking order) is a type of social hierarchy that arises when members of animal social groups interact, creating a ranking system. A dominant higher-ranking individual is so ...

. The top-ranked queen begins feeding, while the other queens form a circle around her. Once the top queen finishes, the second-highest-ranking queen feeds. This process repeats until the last queen feeds at a poor hour.

Solitary, cooperative, and polyethic periods

Inseminated queens start to search for nesting sites in late April. The uninseminated queens do not search for nests, since their ovaries never fully develop. They continue to feed, but then disappear in early July. An inseminated queen begins to create relatively small cells in which she raises around 40 small workers. Workers do not begin to work outside of the hive until July. Queens participate in activities outside the hive until mid-July, when they stay inside the nest and allow workers to do extranidal activities. Early August marks a fully developed nest, containing three combs holding 500 cells and 100 workers. After mid-September, no more eggs are laid and the focus shifts to caring for larvae. The queens die in late October.

Dissolution and hibernating period

Males and new queens take on their responsibilities in mid-September and mid-October, respectively. During this time, their body color becomes intense and the weights of the queens increase about 20%. Once the males and queens leave the nest, they do not return. In ''V. mandarinia'', males wait outside the nest entrance until the queens emerge, when males intercept them in midair, bring them to the ground, and

copulate Sexual intercourse (or coitus or copulation) is a sexual activity typically involving the insertion and thrusting of the penis into the vagina for sexual pleasure or reproduction.Sexual intercourse most commonly means penile–vaginal penetra ...

from 8 to 45 seconds. After this episode, the males return to the entrance for a second chance, while the now-mated queens leave to hibernate. Many queens (up to 65%) attempt to fight off the males and leave unfertilized,{{cite web , title=Asian Giant Hornets , website= Penn State Extension , url=http://extension.psu.edu/asian-giant-hornets , access-date=2020-11-19 , date=6 May 2020 at least temporarily. After this episode, pre-hibernating queens are found in moist, subterranean habitats. When sexed individuals emerge, workers shift their focus from protein and animal foods to carbohydrates. The last sexed individuals to emerge may die of starvation.

Sting

The stinger of the Asian giant hornet is about {{convert, 6, mm, in, frac=4, abbr=on long, which is about {{convert, 4.5, mm, in, frac=16, abbr=on longer than that of a honeybee.

Venom

That stinger injects an especially potent

venom Venom or zootoxin is a type of toxin produced by an animal that is actively delivered through a wound by means of a bite, sting, or similar action. The toxin is delivered through a specially evolved ''venom apparatus'', such as fangs or a st ...

that contains {{visible anchor , Mastoparan-M , text = mastoparan-M. Mastoparans are found in many bee and wasp venoms. They are cytolytic peptides that can damage tissue by stimulating

phospholipase A phospholipase is an enzyme that hydrolyzes phospholipids into fatty acids and other lipophilic substances. Acids trigger the release of bound calcium from cellular stores and the consequent increase in free cytosolic Ca2+, an essential step in ...

action, in addition to its own phospholipase. {{Unbulleted list citebundle , {{* {{cite journal , doi-access=free , year=1981 , volume=2 , issue=4 , last1=Hirai , first1=Yuko , last2=Yasuhara , first2=Tadashi , last3=Yoshida , first3=Hisanobu , last4=Nakajima , first4=Terumi , title=A new mast cell degranulating peptide, mastoparan-M, in the venom of the hornet ''Vespa mandarinia'' , journal=

Biomedical Research Medical research (or biomedical research), also known as experimental medicine, encompasses a wide array of research, extending from " basic research" (also called ''bench science'' or ''bench research''), – involving fundamental scienti ...

, publisher= Biomedical Research Press , issn=0388-6107 , doi=10.2220/biomedres.2.447 , pages=447–449 , s2cid=80002477 , {{* {{cite book , date=1986 , publication-place=

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, publisher=

Academic Press Academic Press (AP) is an academic book publisher founded in 1941. It was acquired by Harcourt, Brace & World in 1969. Reed Elsevier bought Harcourt in 2000, and Academic Press is now an imprint of Elsevier. Academic Press publishes refer ...

, editor-first=Tom , editor-last=Piek , title=Venoms of the Hymenoptera : Biochemical, Pharmacological and Behavioural Aspects , isbn=978-0-12-554770-3 , oclc=12263173{{rp, page=316 , {{* {{cite journal , location=

Basel , french: link=no, Bâlois(e), it, Basilese , neighboring_municipalities= Allschwil (BL), Hégenheim (FR-68), Binningen (BL), Birsfelden (BL), Bottmingen (BL), Huningue (FR-68), Münchenstein (BL), Muttenz (BL), Reinach (BL), Riehen (B ...

, date=2003 , publisher=

Birkhäuser Verlag Birkhäuser was a Swiss publisher founded in 1879 by Emil Birkhäuser. It was acquired by Springer Science+Business Media in 1985. Today it is an imprint used by two companies in unrelated fields: * Springer continues to publish science (particu ...

, journal= Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences , issn=1420-682X, issue=12 , volume=60 , last=Kuhn-Nentwig , first=L. , title=Antimicrobial and cytolytic peptides of venomous arthropods , doi=10.1007/s00018-003-3106-8 , pages=2651–2668 , pmid=14685689 , s2cid=22602158, url=https://boris.unibe.ch/118031/ Masato Ono, an

entomologist Entomology () is the scientific study of insects, a branch of zoology. In the past the term "insect" was less specific, and historically the definition of entomology would also include the study of animals in other arthropod groups, such as ara ...

Tamagawa University is a Japanese university in Machida, Tokyo, Japan. The university consists of 16 departments in seven faculties (undergraduate), as well as seven programs leading to a master's degree and four programs leading to a doctorate degree. Part of the ...

, described the sensation of being stung as feeling "like a hot nail being driven into my leg". Besides using their stingers to inject venom, Asian giant hornets are apparently able to spray venom into a person's eyes under certain circumstances, with one report in 2020 from Japan of long-term damage, though the exact extent of actual visual impairment still remains unassessed.{{ cite journal , title=Ocular injury caused by the sprayed venom of the Asian Giant Hornet (''Vespa mandarinia'') , last1=Hirano , first1=Koji , last2=Tanikawa , first2=Atsuhiro , journal= Case Reports in Ophthalmology , volume=11 , number=2 , pages=430–435 , date=May–August 2020 , doi=10.1159/000508911 , pmid=32999672 , pmc=7506230 , s2cid=221882297 , doi-access=free The venom contains a

neurotoxin Neurotoxins are toxins that are destructive to nerve tissue (causing neurotoxicity). Neurotoxins are an extensive class of exogenous chemical neurological insultsSpencer 2000 that can adversely affect function in both developing and mature nerv ...

called {{ Visible anchor , Mandaratoxin , text=mandaratoxin , a single-chain

polypeptide Peptides (, ) are short chains of amino acids linked by peptide bonds. Long chains of amino acids are called proteins. Chains of fewer than twenty amino acids are called oligopeptides, and include dipeptides, tripeptides, and tetrapeptides. ...

with a molecular weight around 20

kDa The dalton or unified atomic mass unit (symbols: Da or u) is a non-SI unit of mass widely used in physics and chemistry. It is defined as of the mass of an unbound neutral atom of carbon-12 in its nuclear and electronic ground state and at re ...

. While a single wasp cannot inject a lethal dose, multiple stings can be lethal even to people who are not

allergic Allergies, also known as allergic diseases, refer a number of conditions caused by the hypersensitivity of the immune system to typically harmless substances in the environment. These diseases include hay fever, food allergies, atopic der ...

if the dose is sufficient, and allergy to the venom greatly increases the risk of death. Tests involving mice found that the venom falls short of being the most lethal of all wasp venoms, having an {{LD50 of 4.0{{nbsmg/kg. (In comparison, the deadliest wasp venom (at least to

laboratory mice The laboratory mouse or lab mouse is a small mammal of the order Rodentia which is bred and used for scientific research or feeders for certain pets. Laboratory mice are usually of the species ''Mus musculus''. They are the most commonly used ...

) by weight belongs to '' V. luctuosa'' at 1.6{{nbsmg/kg.) The potency of the ''V. mandarinia'' sting is due, rather, to the relatively large amount of venom injected.{{cite journal , last1= Schmidt, first1= Justin O. , last2= Yamane , first2= Soichi , last3= Matsuura , first3= Makoto , last4= Starr , first4= Christopher K. , title= Hornet venoms: Lethalities and lethal capacities , journal= Toxicon , year= 1986 , publisher=

, volume= 24 , issue= 9 , pages= 950–954 , url= http://www.ckstarr.net/cks/1986-VENOM.pdf , doi= 10.1016/0041-0101(86)90096-6 , pmid=3810666

Immunogenicity

Evidence is insufficient to believe that prophylactic immunotherapy for the venom of other

will prevent allergic reaction to ''V. mandarinia'' venom, because of wide differences in venom chemistry.{{ cite web , url=http://www.aaaai.org/ask-the-expert/asian , title=Vespid allergy and Asian giant hornet , website=American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology , first=Jacqueline A. , last1=Pongracic

Effects on humans

In 1957, van der Vecht was under the impression humans in the native range lived in constant fear of ''V. mandarinia'' and Iwata reported in 1976 that research and removal were hampered by its attacks. However they are now widely agreed to present little danger to humans.{{cite web , access-date=2022-08-10 , date=2020 , title=Human Health , website=

, url=https://agr.wa.gov/departments/insects-pests-and-weeds/insects/hornets/human-health

Parasites

The strepsipteran '' Xenos moutoni'' is a common parasite among ''Vespa'' species. In a study of parasites among species of ''Vespa'', 4.3% of ''V. mandarinia'' females were parasitized. Males were not stylopized (parasitization by stylopid strepsipterans, such as ''X. moutoni'') at all. The major consequence of being parasitized is the inability to reproduce, and stylopized queens follow the same fate as uninseminated queens. They do not search for an area to create a new colony and feed on sap until early July, when they disappear. In other species of ''Vespa'', males also have a chance of being stylopized. The consequences between the two sexes are similar, as neither sex is able to reproduce.

Communication and perception

''V. mandarinia'' uses both visual and chemical cues as a means of navigating itself and others to the desired location. Scent marking was discussed as a way for hornets to direct other members of the colony to a food source. Even with antennae damage, ''V. mandarinia'' was able to navigate itself. It was unable to find its destination only when vision impairment was induced. This implies that while chemical signaling is important, visual cues play an equally important role in guiding individuals. Other behaviors include the formation of a "royal court" consisting of workers that lick and bite the queen, thereby ingesting her

pheromones A pheromone () is a secreted or excreted chemical factor that triggers a social response in members of the same species. Pheromones are chemicals capable of acting like hormones outside the body of the secreting individual, to affect the behavio ...

. These pheromones could directly communicate between the queen and her court or indirectly between her court and other workers due to the ingested pheromones. This is merely speculation, as no direct evidence has been collected to suggest the latter. ''V. mandarinia'' communicates acoustically, as well. When larvae are hungry, they scrape their mandibles against the walls of the cell. Furthermore, adult hornets click their mandibles as a warning to other creatures that encroach upon their territories.{{cite web, url=http://bioweb.uwlax.edu/bio203/s2014/damro_jaco/adaptation.htm, title=''Vespa mandarinia'', website=UWL, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190110203800/http://bioweb.uwlax.edu/bio203/s2014/damro_jaco/adaptation.htm, archive-date=10 January 2019, url-status=live, access-date=25 September 2014

Scent marking

''V. mandarinia'' is the only species of social wasp known to apply a scent to direct its colony to a food source. The hornet secretes the chemical from the sixth sternal gland, also known as van der Vecht's gland. This behavior is observed during autumnal raids after the hornets begin hunting in groups instead of individually. The ability to apply scents may have arisen because the Asian giant hornet relies heavily on honey bee colonies as its main food source. A single hornet is unable to take on an entire colony of honey bees because species such as ''

Apis cerana ''Apis cerana'', the eastern honey bee, Asiatic honey bee or Asian honey bee, is a species of honey bee native to South, Southeast and East Asia. This species is the sister species of ''Apis koschevnikovi'' and both are in the same subgenus as ...

'' have a well-organized defense mechanism; the honey bees swarm one wasp and flutter their wings to heat up the hornet and raise carbon dioxide to a lethal level. So, organized attacks are much more effective and easily devastate a colony of tens of thousands of honey bees.{{cite journal , last1=Taylor , first1=Benjamin J. , last2=Nordheim , first2=Erik V. , last3=Schueller , first3=Teresa I. , last4=Jeanne , first4=Robert L. , title=Recruitment in swarm-founding wasps: ''Polybia occidentalis'' does not actively scent-mark carbohydrate food sources , journal= Psyche , date=2011 , volume=2011 , pages=1–7 , doi=10.1155/2011/378576 , doi-access=free

Interspecies dominance

In an experiment observing four different species of ''Vespa'' (''V. ducalis'', ''V. crabro'', ''V. analis'', and ''V. mandarinia''), ''V. mandarinia'' was the dominant species. Multiple parameters were set to determine this. The first set parameter observed interaction-mediated departures, which are defined as scenarios wherein one species leaves its position due to the arrival of a more dominant individual. The proportion of interaction-mediated departures was the lowest for ''V. mandarinia''. Another measured parameter was attempted patch entry. Over the observed time, conspecifics (interactions with the same species) resulted in refused entry far more than heterospecifics (interactions with different species). Lastly, when feeding at sap flows, fights between these hornets, '' Pseudotorynorrhina japonica'', '' Neope goschkevitschii'', and ''

Lethe In Greek mythology, Lethe (; Ancient Greek: ''Lḗthē''; , ), also referred to as Lemosyne, was one of the five rivers of the underworld of Hades. Also known as the ''Ameles potamos'' (river of unmindfulness), the Lethe flowed around the cav ...

sicelis'' were observed, and once more ''V. mandarinia'' was the most dominant species. In 57 separate fights, one loss was observed to ''Neope goschkevitschii'', giving ''V. mandarinia'' a win rate of 98.3%. Based on interaction-mediated departures, attempted patch entry, and interspecific fights, ''V. mandarinia'' is the most dominant ''Vespa'' species.{{cite journal , last1=Yoshimoto , first1=J. , last2=Nishida , first2=T. , title=Factors Affecting Behavioral Interactions Among Sap-Attracted Insects , journal=Annals of the Entomological Society of America , date=1 March 2009 , volume=102 , issue=2 , pages=201–209 , doi=10.1603/008.102.0203 , doi-access=free

Diet

The Asian giant hornet is intensely predatory; it hunts medium- to large-sized

insect Insects (from Latin ') are pancrustacean hexapod invertebrates of the class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body ( head, thorax and abdomen), three pa ...

s, such as

bee Bees are winged insects closely related to wasps and ants, known for their roles in pollination and, in the case of the best-known bee species, the western honey bee, for producing honey. Bees are a monophyletic lineage within the superfami ...

s,{{cite journal , last=Richter , first=M. Raveret , title=Social Wasp (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) Foraging Behavior , journal=

, publisher= Annual Reviews , volume=45 , issue=1 , year=2000 , issn=0066-4170 , doi=10.1146/annurev.ento.45.1.121 , pages=121–150 , pmid=10761573 , quote-page=126 , quote=Social wasps use masticated arthropod prey and other animal protein to progressively provision their developing brood. Prey items most commonly include a variety of arthropods such as ... bees (...79...)... other hornet and wasp species,

beetle Beetles are insects that form the order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Endopterygota. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 400,000 describ ...

s, hornworms,{{cite web , url=https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Vespa_mandarinia/ , title=Adw: : Information and

mantis Mantises are an order (Mantodea) of insects that contains over 2,400 species in about 460 genera in 33 families. The largest family is the Mantidae ("mantids"). Mantises are distributed worldwide in temperate and tropical habitats. They ha ...

es. The latter are favored targets in late summer and fall. Large insects such as mantises are key protein sources to feed queen and drone larvae. Workers forage to feed their

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. ...

e, and since their prey can include crop

pests PESTS was an anonymous American activist group formed in 1986 to critique racism, tokenism, and exclusion in the art world. PESTS produced newsletters, posters, and other print material highlighting examples of discrimination in gallery represent ...

, the hornets are sometimes regarded as beneficial. This hornet often attacks colonies of other ''

'' species ('' V. simillima'' being the usual prey species), ''

Vespula ''Vespula'' is a small genus of social wasps, widely distributed in the Northern Hemisphere. Along with members of their sister genus ''Dolichovespula'', they are collectively known by the common name yellowjackets (or yellow jackets) in North ...

'' species, and

honey bee A honey bee (also spelled honeybee) is a eusocial flying insect within the genus ''Apis'' of the bee clade, all native to Afro-Eurasia. After bees spread naturally throughout Africa and Eurasia, humans became responsible for the current cosm ...

(such as ''

'' and '' A. mellifera'') hives to obtain the adults, pupae, and

e as food for their own larvae; sometimes, they also cannibalize each other's colonies. A single scout, sometimes two or three, cautiously approaches the hive, producing pheromones to lead its nest-mates to the hive. The hornets can devastate a colony of honey bees, especially if it is the introduced western honey bee; a single hornet can kill as many as 40 bees per minute due to its large mandibles, which can quickly strike and decapitate prey. The honey bees' stings are ineffective because the hornets are five times their size and heavily armored. Only a few hornets (under 50) can exterminate a colony of tens of thousands of bees in a few hours. The hornets can fly up to {{convert, 100, km, mi, -1, abbr=on in a single day, at speeds up to {{convert, 40, km/h, mph, round=5, abbr=on. The smaller Asian hornet similarly preys on honey bees, and has been spreading throughout Europe. Hornet larvae, but not adults, can digest solid protein; the adult hornets can only drink the juices of their victims, and they chew their prey into a paste to feed to their larvae. The workers dismember the bodies of their prey to return only the most nutrient-rich body parts, such as flight muscles, to the nest. Larvae of predatory social vespids generally (not just ''Vespa'') secrete a clear liquid, sometimes referred to as ''Vespa'' amino acid mixture, the exact amino acid composition of which varies considerably from species to species, and which they produce to feed the adults on demand.

Native honey bees

Beekeepers in Japan attempted to introduce

western honey bee The western honey bee or European honey bee (''Apis mellifera'') is the most common of the 7–12 species of honey bees worldwide. The genus name ''Apis'' is Latin for "bee", and ''mellifera'' is the Latin for "honey-bearing" or "honey carrying" ...

s (''Apis mellifera'') for the sake of their high productivity. Western honey bees have no innate defense against the hornets, which can rapidly destroy their colonies,

Kakugo virus Kakugo virus is a picorna-like virus most commonly found in the brains of worker bees. It is a subtype of the ''Deformed wing virus''. The Kakugo (Japanese for 'ready to attack') virus, when resident in a bee's brain, can contribute to aggressi ...

infection, though, may provide an extrinsic defence.{{cite journal , last1=Hamblin , first1=Steven R. , last2=White , first2=Peter A. , last3=Tanaka , first3=Mark M. , title=Viral niche construction alters hosts and ecosystems at multiple scales , journal=

Trends in Ecology & Evolution A fad or trend is any form of collective behavior that develops within a culture, a generation or social group in which a group of people enthusiastically follow an impulse for a short period. Fads are objects or behaviors that achieve short- ...

, publisher=

Cell Press Cell Press is an all-science publisher of over 50 scientific journals across the life, physical, earth, and health sciences, both independently and in partnership with scientific societies. Many of Cell Press's journals are among the most reputab ...

, volume=29 , issue=11 , year=2014 , issn=0169-5347 , doi=10.1016/j.tree.2014.08.005 , pages=594–599, pmid=25237032 Although a handful of Asian giant hornets can easily defeat the uncoordinated defenses of a western honey bee colony, the Japanese honey bee ('' Apis cerana japonica'') has an effective strategy. When a hornet scout locates and approaches a Japanese honey bee hive, she emits specific pheromonal hunting signals. When the Japanese honey bees detect these pheromones, 100 or so gather near the entrance of the nest and set up a trap, keeping the entrance open. This permits the hornet to enter the hive. As the hornet enters, a mob of hundreds of bees surrounds it in a ball, completely covering it and preventing it from reacting effectively. The bees violently vibrate their flight muscles in much the same way as they do to heat the hive in cold conditions. This raises the temperature in the ball to the critical temperature of {{convert, 46, °C, °F. In addition, the exertions of the honey bees raise the level of carbon dioxide (CO₂) in the ball. At that concentration of CO₂, they can tolerate up to {{convert, 50, °C, °F, but the hornet cannot survive the combination of high temperature and high carbon dioxide level. {{Unbulleted list citebundle , {{* {{cite journal , year=1995 , publisher=

Nature Portfolio Nature Portfolio (formerly known as Nature Publishing Group and Nature Research) is a division of the international scientific publishing company Springer Nature that publishes academic journals, magazines, online databases, and services in sci ...

, volume=377 , journal=

Nature Nature, in the broadest sense, is the physical world or universe. "Nature" can refer to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general. The study of nature is a large, if not the only, part of science. Although humans are ...

, issn=0028-0836 , issue=6547 , last1=Ono , first1=Masato , last2=Igarashi , first2=Takeshi , last3=Ohno , first3=Eishi , last4=Sasaki , first4=Masami , title=Unusual thermal defence by a honeybee against mass attack by hornets , doi=10.1038/377334a0 , pages=334–336 , bibcode=1995Natur.377..334O , s2cid=4234440 , {{* {{cite book , edition=2 , date=2014 , publisher=

Cambridge University Press Cambridge University Press is the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by King Henry VIII in 1534, it is the oldest university press in the world. It is also the King's Printer. Cambridge University Pr ...

, publication-place=

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...

, title=Pheromones and Animal Behavior : Chemical Signals and Signatures , last=Wyatt , first=Tristram D. , isbn=978-0-521-11290-1 , id={{isbn, 978-0-521-13019-6. {{isbn, 9781139030748. {{oclc, 881237498 , oclc=841556719 , s2cid=83377912 , doi=10.1017/cbo9781139030748 , pages=xvii+406{{rp, page=170 , {{* {{cite journal , year=2004 , issue=1 , volume=49 , publisher= Annual Reviews , journal=

, issn=0066-4170 , pages=271–298 , last1=Breed , first1=Michael D. , last2=Guzmán-Novoa , first2=Ernesto , last3=Hunt , first3=Greg J. , title=Defensive Behavior of Honey Bees: Organization, Genetics, and Comparisons with Other Bees , doi=10.1146/annurev.ento.49.061802.123155 , s2cid=2089337 , pmid=14651465 , {{* {{cite journal , year=2000 , issue=1 , volume=45 , publisher= Annual Reviews , journal=

, issn=0066-4170 , pages=121–150 , last=Richter , first=M. Raveret , title=Social Wasp (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) Foraging Behavior , doi=10.1146/annurev.ento.45.1.121 , pmid=10761573 , s2cid=86501702 , {{* {{cite journal , date=2002 , issue=2 , volume=49 , pages=99–110 , publisher=

Springer Springer or springers may refer to: Publishers * Springer Science+Business Media, aka Springer International Publishing, a worldwide publishing group founded in 1842 in Germany formerly known as Springer-Verlag. ** Springer Nature, a multinationa ...

(

International Union for the Study of Social Insects The International Union for the Study of Social Insects has at its purpose to promote and encourage the study of social insects and other social organisms in the broadest sense. Both research and the dissemination of knowledge about social insects ...

(IUSSI)) , journal=

Insectes Sociaux ''Insectes sociaux'' is a scientific journal dedicated to the study of eusociality, social insects. It is the official journal of the International Union for the Study of Social Insects (IUSSI), and is published by Birkhäuser Verlag. References ...

, issn=0020-1812 , last1=Anderson , first1=C. , last2=Theraulaz , first2=G. , last3=Deneubourg , first3=J.-L. , title=Self-assemblages in insect societies , doi=10.1007/s00040-002-8286-y , s2cid=15881805 , {{* {{cite journal , year=2016 , issue=6 , volume=164 , publisher=Elsevier (

) , journal=

Cell Cell most often refers to: * Cell (biology), the functional basic unit of life Cell may also refer to: Locations * Monastic cell, a small room, hut, or cave in which a religious recluse lives, alternatively the small precursor of a monastery ...

, issn=0092-8674 , pages=1277–1287 , last1=Leonhardt , first1=Sara Diana , last2=Menzel , first2=Florian , last3=Nehring , first3=Volker , last4=Schmitt , first4=Thomas , title=Ecology and Evolution of Communication in Social Insects , doi=10.1016/j.cell.2016.01.035 , pmid=26967293 , s2cid=12267044 , {{* {{cite journal , last1=Sugahara , issue=9 , volume=96 , publisher= Julius Springer Verlag , journal=

Naturwissenschaften ''The Science of Nature'', formerly ''Naturwissenschaften'', is a monthly peer-reviewed scientific journal published by Springer Science+Business Media covering all aspects of the natural sciences relating to questions of biological significance. I ...

, pages=1133–1136 , first1=Michio , last2=Sakamoto , first2=Fumio , date=September 2009 , title=Heat and carbon dioxide generated by honeybees jointly act to kill hornets , bibcode=2009NW.....96.1133S , doi=10.1007/s00114-009-0575-0 , pmid=19551367 , s2cid=22080257 , {{* Wyatt{{rp, page=171 Some honey bees do die along with the intruder, much as happens when they attack other intruders with their stings, but by killing the hornet scout, they prevent it from summoning reinforcements that would wipe out the entire colony. Detailed research suggests this account of the behavior of the honey bees and a few species of hornets is incomplete and that the honey bees and the predators are developing strategies to avoid expensive and mutually unprofitable conflict. Instead, when honey bees detect scouting hornets, they transmit an "I see you" signal that commonly warns off the predator. Another defence used by ''

'' is speeding up dramatically when returning to the colony, to avoid midair attacks.{{citation needed, date=April 2021

Diet in North America

The WSDA found ''V. mandarinia'' to be preying on cluster fly, orange legged drone fly, bristle fly, bronze birch borer beetle,

, western yellowjacket, German yellowjacket, aerial yellowjacket, bald faced hornet, European paper wasp, golden paper wasp, paddle-tailed darner dragonfly, shadow darner dragonfly, large yellow underwing moth, blinded sphinx moth, and red admiral butterfly (''

Vanessa atalanta ''Vanessa atalanta'', the red admiral or, previously, the red admirable, is a well-characterized, medium-sized butterfly with black wings, red bands, and white spots. It has a wingspan of about . It was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his ...

''). They had also eaten cow's meat, but the WSDA assumes this to be

beef Beef is the culinary name for meat from cattle (''Bos taurus''). In prehistoric times, humankind hunted aurochs and later domesticated them. Since that time, numerous breeds of cattle have been bred specifically for the quality or quantit ...

from a hamburger.{{cite web , last=Salp , first=Karla , title=Hungry hornet babies – what's on their menu in the PNW? , website=

AgBriefs , date=3 August 2021 , url=http://wastatedeptag.blogspot.com/2021/08/hungry-hornet-babies-whats-on-their.html , access-date=2021-08-13

Pollination

''V. mandarinia'' is not solely

carnivorous A carnivore , or meat-eater (Latin, ''caro'', genitive ''carnis'', meaning meat or "flesh" and ''vorare'' meaning "to devour"), is an animal or plant whose food and energy requirements derive from animal tissues (mainly muscle, fat and other ...

, but also a

pollinator A pollinator is an animal that moves pollen from the male anther of a flower to the female stigma of a flower. This helps to bring about fertilization of the ovules in the flower by the male gametes from the pollen grains. Insects are the m ...

. It is among the diurnal pollinators of the obligate plant parasite '' Mitrastemon yamamotoi''.{{cite journal , last=Suetsugu , first=K. , editor-last=Dafni , editor-first=A. , title=Social wasps, crickets and cockroaches contribute to pollination of the holoparasitic plant ''Mitrastemon yamamotoi'' (Mitrastemonaceae) in southern Japan , journal=

Plant Biology Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Gree ...

, publisher= Wiley , volume=21 , issue=1 , date=2018-09-06 , issn=1435-8603 , doi=10.1111/plb.12889 , pages=176–182, pmid=30098096 , doi-access=free It is among the most common pollinators of '' Musella lasiocarpa'' in the

Yunnan Yunnan , () is a landlocked province in the southwest of the People's Republic of China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 48.3 million (as of 2018). The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders the ...

Province of China. {{Unbulleted list citebundle , {{* {{ Cite , year = 2002 , volume = 235 , pages = 135-146 , title = Insect pollination of ''Musella'' (Musaceae), a monotypic genus endemic to Yunnan, China , last1 = Liu , first1 = Az , last2 = Kress , first2 = John , last3 = Wang , first3 = H. , last4 = Li , first4 = Z. , journal =

Plant Systematics and Evolution ''Plant Systematics and Evolution'' is a biannual peer-reviewed scientific journal covering systematic botany and evolutionary biology. The editors-in-chief are Marcus A. Koch (Heidelberg University), Martin A. Lysak, (Masaryk University), and ...

, doi = 10.1007/s00606-002-0200-6 , s2cid = 24542387 , publisher =

Springer-Verlag Springer Science+Business Media, commonly known as Springer, is a German multinational publishing company of books, e-books and peer-reviewed journals in science, humanities, technical and medical (STM) publishing. Originally founded in 1842 ...

, language = English , location =

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, {{* {{ Cite , access-date = , language = English , year = 2012 , location =

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, volume = 78 , first5 = John , first4 = Bruce , first3 = Ana , first2 = Roxana , first1 = Chelsea , last5 = Kress , last4 = Kirchoff , last3 = Almeida , last1 = Specht , last2 = Yockteng , pages = 440–462 , s2cid = 15781695 , title = Homoplasy, Pollination, and Emerging Complexity During the Evolution of Floral Development in the Tropical Gingers (Zingiberales) , publisher =

Springer Science+Business Media Springer Science+Business Media, commonly known as Springer, is a German multinational publishing company of books, e-books and peer-reviewed journals in science, humanities, technical and medical (STM) publishing. Originally founded in 1842 ...

( New York Botanical Garden Press (NYBG Press)) , journal =

The Botanical Review The New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) is a botanical garden at Bronx Park in the Bronx, New York City. Established in 1891, it is located on a site that contains a landscape with over one million living plants; the Enid A. Haupt Conservator ...

, issn = 0006-8101 , doi = 10.1007/s12229-012-9111-6

Extermination methods

As of 1973, six different methods were used to control hornets in Japan; these methods decrease damage done by ''V. mandarinia''.{{citation needed, date=April 2021

Beating

Hornets are crushed with wooden sticks with flat heads. Hornets do not counterattack when they are in the bee-hunting phase or the hive-attack phase ("slaughter"), but they aggressively guard a beehive once they kill the defenders and occupy it. The biggest expenditure in this method is time, as the process is inefficient.

Nest removal

Applying poisons or fires at night is an effective way of exterminating a colony. The most difficult part about this tactic is finding the subterranean nests. The most common method of discovering nests is giving a piece of frog or fish meat attached to a cotton ball to a wasp and following it back to its nest. With ''V. mandarinia'', this is particularly difficult considering its common home flight radius of {{convert, 1, -, 2, km, mi. ''V. mandarinia'' travels up to {{convert, 8, km, mi away from the nest.{{ Cite magazine , first1=Megan , last1=Molteni , url=http://www.wired.com/story/inside-the-sprint-to-map-the-murder-hornet-genome/ , title=Inside the Sprint to Map the Murder Hornet Genome , magazine=

Wired ''Wired'' (stylized as ''WIRED'') is a monthly American magazine, published in print and online editions, that focuses on how emerging technologies affect culture, the economy, and politics. Owned by Condé Nast, it is headquartered in San ...

, date=24 August 2020 , access-date=2 November 2020 For the rare nest that is up in a tree, wrapping the tree in plastic and vacuuming the hornets out is used.

Bait traps

Bait traps can be placed in apiaries. The system consists of multiple compartments that direct the hornet into a one-sided hole which is difficult to return through once it is in the ''cul-de-sac'' compartment, an area located at the top of the box from which honey bees can escape through a mesh opening, but wasps cannot due to their large size. Baits used to attract the hornets include a diluted millet jelly solution or a crude sugar solution with a mixture of intoxicants, vinegar, or fruit essence. The WSDA has been using plastic bottle traps, baited with fruit juice and added alcohol. The alcohol is used because it repels bees, but not ''V. mandarinia'', thus reducing the

bycatch Bycatch (or by-catch), in the fishing industry, is a fish or other marine species that is caught unintentionally while fishing for specific species or sizes of wildlife. Bycatch is either the wrong species, the wrong sex, or is undersized or juve ...

Mass poisoning

Hornets at the apiary are captured and fed a sugar solution or bee that has been poisoned with

malathion Malathion is an organophosphate insecticide which acts as an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor. In the USSR, it was known as carbophos, in New Zealand and Australia as maldison and in South Africa as mercaptothion. Pesticide use Malathion is a pe ...

. The toxin is expected to spread through

trophallaxis Trophallaxis () is the transfer of food or other fluids among members of a community through mouth-to-mouth ( stomodeal) or anus-to-mouth ( proctodeal) feeding. Along with nutrients, trophallaxis can involve the transfer of molecules such as pher ...

. This method is good in principle, but has not been tested extensively.

Trapping at hive entrances

The trap is attached to the front of beehives. The effectiveness of the trap is determined by its ability to capture hornets while allowing honey bees to escape easily. The hornet enters the trap and catches a bee. When it tries to fly back through the entrance of the hive, it hits the front of the trap. The hornet flies upwards to escape and enters the capture chamber, where the hornets are left to die. Some hornets find a way to escape the trap through the front, so these traps can be very inefficient.

Protective screens

As explained in the trapping section, if met by resistance, hornets lose the urge to attack and instead retreat. Different measures of resistance include weeds, wire, or fishing nets or limiting the passage size so only honey bees can make it through. Experienced hornets catch on and eventually stay on these traps, awaiting the arrival of bees. The best method of controlling hornets is to combine protective screens with traps.

Human consumption

In some Japanese mountain villages, the nests are excavated and the larvae are considered a delicacy when fried. In the central

Chūbu region The , Central region, or is a region in the middle of Honshū, Japan's main island. In a wide, classical definition, it encompasses nine prefectures (''ken''): Aichi, Fukui, Gifu, Ishikawa, Nagano, Niigata, Shizuoka, Toyama, and ...

, these wasps are sometimes eaten as snacks or an ingredient in drinks. The grubs are often preserved in jars, pan-fried or steamed with rice to make a savory dish called ''hebo-gohan''. The adults are fried on skewers, stinger and all, until the body becomes crunchy.{{cite news , last=Dooley , first=Ben , date=5 May 2020 , access-date=10 September 2020 , url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/05/world/asia/murder-hornet-japan.html , title=In Japan, the 'Murder Hornet' Is Both a Lethal Threat and a Tasty Treat , newspaper=

Economic impact

{{expand section, date=January 2021 If ''V. mandarinia'' reaches all suitable habitat in North America, control costs in the United States will be over US$113.7 million/year (possibly significantly higher).

Agricultural impact

If ''V. mandarinia'' reaches all suitable habitat in North America, bee products would bring in US$11.98 ± 0.64 million ''less'' per year, and bee-pollinated crops would produce US$101.8 million less per year.

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

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Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the ...

North Carolina North Carolina () is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 28th largest and List of states and territories of the United ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delawa ...

, and

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are ...

would be most severely affected. By region,

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...

would be worst hit, and to a lesser degree the entire northeast and the entirety of eastern North America. New England would become by far the greatest concentration of ''V. mandarinia'' in the world, far surpassing the original introduction site (the Pacific Northwest), and even its home range of East Asia.

Alfalfa Alfalfa () (''Medicago sativa''), also called lucerne, is a perennial flowering plant in the legume family Fabaceae. It is cultivated as an important forage crop in many countries around the world. It is used for grazing, hay, and silage, as ...

/other hays,

apple An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple trees are cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus '' Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, where its wild ancest ...

grape A grape is a fruit, botanically a berry, of the deciduous woody vines of the flowering plant genus '' Vitis''. Grapes are a non- climacteric type of fruit, generally occurring in clusters. The cultivation of grapes began perhaps 8,000 years a ...

tobacco Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...

cotton Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor pe ...

, and

blueberries Blueberries are a widely distributed and widespread group of perennial flowering plants with blue or purple berries. They are classified in the section ''Cyanococcus'' within the genus ''Vaccinium''. ''Vaccinium'' also includes cranberries, b ...

would be the crops most severely affected.

References

{{Reflist, refs= {{cite journal , last1=Smith , first1=F. , title=VIII. Descriptions of some new and apparently undescribed species of hymenopterous insects from North China, collected by Robert Fortune, Esq , journal= Transactions of the Royal Entomological Society of London , publisher=

Royal Entomological Society The Royal Entomological Society is devoted to the study of insects. Its aims are to disseminate information about insects and improving communication between entomologists. The society was founded in 1833 as the Entomological Society of Londo ...

, date=1852 , volume=7 , issue=2 , pages=33–44 , doi=10.1111/j.1365-2311.1852.tb02208.x , url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/part/35341 (''Vespa mandarinia'': p. 38) {{cite web, url=http://docs.house.gov/billsthisweek/20201221/BILLS-116HR133SA-RCP-116-68.pdf#page=4073, page=1606, title=Rules Committee Print 116–68 Text of the House Amendment to the Senate Amendment to H.R. 133 {{cite web , last=Burton , first=Bonnie , title=US Congress to establish 'murder hornet' eradication pilot program , website=

CNET ''CNET'' (short for "Computer Network") is an American media website that publishes reviews, news, articles, blogs, podcasts, and videos on technology and consumer electronics globally. ''CNET'' originally produced content for radio and televi ...

, date=2020-12-21 , url=http://www.cnet.com/news/us-congress-to-establish-murder-hornet-eradication-pilot-program/ , access-date=2020-12-22 {{cite web, url=http://naturalresources.house.gov/imo/media/doc/Murder%20Hornet%20Eradication%20Act%20of%202020.pdf, title=Murder Hornet Eradication Act of 2020, last=Grijalva, first=Raul M., date=2020-05-08 {{cite web , last=Cecco , first=Leyland , title=Beekeepers brace for next round with Canada's 'murder hornets' , website=

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers '' The Observer'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the ...

, date=2021-01-01 , url=http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jan/01/beekeepers-brace-for-next-round-with-canada-murder-hornets-aoe , access-date=2021-01-01 {{cite journal , last1=Kuroda , first1=Reiko , last2=Kameda , first2=Tsunenori , title=Conformation change of hornet silk proteins in the solid phase in response to external stimulation , journal=

Chirality Chirality is a property of asymmetry important in several branches of science. The word ''chirality'' is derived from the Greek (''kheir''), "hand", a familiar chiral object. An object or a system is ''chiral'' if it is distinguishable from ...

, publisher= Wiley , volume=30 , issue=5 , date=2018-01-31 , issn=0899-0042 , doi=10.1002/chir.22824 , pages=541–547, pmid=29384590 {{cite web , last=Golembiewski , first=Kate , title=Murder Hornets Menaced Parts of the U.S. This Year. How Big of a Threat Are They? , website=

Discover Magazine ''Discover'' is an American general audience science magazine launched in October 1980 by Time Inc. It has been owned by Kalmbach Publishing since 2010. History Founding ''Discover'' was created primarily through the efforts of ''Time'' m ...

, date=2020-12-27 , url=http://www.discovermagazine.com/planet-earth/murder-hornets-menaced-parts-of-the-u-s-this-year-how-big-of-a-threat-are , access-date=2021-01-07 {{cite journal , s2cid=89290615 , last1=Azmy , first1=Muna Maryam , last2=Hosaka , first2=Tetsuro , last3=Numata , first3=Shinya , title=Responses of four hornet species to levels of urban greenness in Nagoya city, Japan: Implications for ecosystem disservices of urban green spaces , journal=Urban Forestry & Urban Greening , publisher=

BV , volume=18 , year=2016 , issn=1618-8667 , doi=10.1016/j.ufug.2016.05.014 , pages=117–125 {{cite journal , date=July 1976 , last=Yamane , first=Seiki , title=Morphological and taxonomic studies on vespine larvae, with reference to the phylogeny of the subfamily Vespinae (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) , journal= Insecta Matsumurana , series=Entomology , publisher= Faculty of Agriculture

HUSCAP , url=http://eprints.lib.hokudai.ac.jp/dspace/handle/2115/9782 , access-date=2021-01-14 , volume=8 , pages=1–45 , hdl=2115/9782 *{{cite journal, journal=

Entomologist's Monthly Magazine ''Entomologist's Monthly Magazine'' is a British entomological journal, founded by a staff of five editors – T. Blackburn, H. G. Knaggs, M.D., R. McLachlan, F.L.S., E. C. Rye and H. T. Stainton – and first published in 1864.Wale, Matth ...

, volume=131, title=Taxonomy, distribution and nesting biology of the ''Vespa mandarinia'' group (Hym., Vespinae), date=20 March 1995, first=Michael E., last=Archer, publisher= The University College of Ripon & York St John, location=Lord Mayor's Walk,

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

, YO3 7EX., pages=47–53 {{reflist, group="Arc", refs= p.{{nbs48, "''V. soror'' du Buysson 1905 was described as a variety of ''V. ducalis'' Smith, 1852, despite the structural characteristics of the vertex and apical margin of the clypeus being similar to ''V. magnifica''. Van der Vecht (1957) recognised the confusion and proposed the new combination ''V. mandarinia soror''. Archer (1991a) showed that ''V. mandarinia soror'' was sympatric for part of its geographical distribution with ''V. m. mandarinia'' but still retained its distinctive colour characteristics so should be given specific status, ''V. soror''." p.{{nbs48–49, "''V. mandarinia'' and ''V. soror'' cannot be satisfactory separated by structural characteristics but are readily separated by colour characteristics: ::1. Third to the sixth gastral terga in the female and to the seventh gastral terga in the male black, at most with a narrow apical orange band on the third gastral tergum .................................................................... ''soror'' du Buysson. 1905 ::{{emdash Third to the fifth gastral terga in the female and to the sixth gastral terga in the male with either a narrow or broad apical orange band, tergum six in the female and tergum seven in the male largely orange ................................... ''mandarinia'' Smith. 1852" p.{{nbs51–52, "The queens usually select underground cavities as nest sites. The cavities are either associated with rotten tree roots or are made by small vertebrates such as moles and snakes. The cavities are in well drained soil along a slope or under an overhanging cliff. The nests are found at a depth of six to 60 cm and the entrance tunnel is two to 60 cm long. A few nests are found above ground (e.g. nine nests from a sample of 56) either in tree hollows or mud walls and within one or two meties above the surface of the ground. The nests are found on hillsides, parks and forests but are rare in the lowlands and high mountains. The Taiwan colour form of V. mandarinia also nests underground but the western colour form has been found in tree hollows near the surface of the ground (Bingham, 1888)" p.{{nbs52, "The queen builds a comb of about 44 cells (range 37–60) with a mean cell building rate per day of 1.64 (range 0–4) and a mean egg laying rate per day of 1.53 (range 0–5). The envelope is bowl-shaped, not completely enclosing the comb which is ventrally exposed within the nest cavity. The queen is able to excavate soil so as to enlarge the nest cavity as the nest grows in size. The first workers emerge as adults after about 38 days from the queen nest. In southern Japan, nests at maturity consist of four to seven combs although five to six combs are more usual. Mature nests contain about 2700 cells with the largest nest having 4661 cells. The large cells are clearly larger than the small cells although the size of the small cells does increase during the development of the nest. The envelope is thin and absent at the bottom of the nest exposing the lower comb and providing access to the combs. The workers continue to excavate soil to enlarge the nest cavity although stones too large to be carried drop to the bottom of the nest cavity. The ability of the queen and workers to excavate soil probably relates to the lack of relocation behaviour in this species." *{{cite journal , last1=Abe , first1=Takashi , last2=Kawai , first2=Nobufumi , last3=Niwa , first3=Akiko , title=Purification and properties of a presynaptically acting neurotoxin, mandaratoxin, from hornet (''Vespa mandarinia'') , journal=

Biochemistry Biochemistry or biological chemistry is the study of chemical processes within and relating to living organisms. A sub-discipline of both chemistry and biology, biochemistry may be divided into three fields: structural biology, enzymology and ...

, publisher=

American Chemical Society The American Chemical Society (ACS) is a scientific society based in the United States that supports scientific inquiry in the field of chemistry. Founded in 1876 at New York University, the ACS currently has more than 155,000 members at all ...

(ACS) , volume=21 , issue=7 , date=1982-03-30 , issn=0006-2960 , doi=10.1021/bi00536a034 , pages=1693–1697, pmid=6282316 {{reflist, group="Abe", refs= p.{{nbs1693, "A hornet (''Vespa mandarinia'') neurotoxin, mandaratoxin (MDTX)" p.{{nbs1696, "Estimations of the molecular weight of purified MDTX in its reduced and unreduced forms with denaturing solvents and its molecular weight in the native form are nearly the same. It is concluded that the toxin is a single polypeptide chain of approximately 20,000 daltons. Thus, the toxin acts on nerve membranes as a monomer protein of similar molecular weight." *{{cite journal , last1=Alaniz , first1=Alberto J , last2=Carvajal , first2=Mario A , last3=Vergara , first3=Pablo M , title=Giants are coming? Predicting the potential spread and impacts of the giant Asian hornet (''Vespa mandarinia'', Hymenoptera:Vespidae) in the USA , journal=

Pest Management Science The Society of Chemical Industry (SCI) is a learned society set up in 1881 "to further the application of chemistry and related sciences for the public benefit". Offices The society's headquarters is in Belgrave Square, London. There are semi- ...

, publisher=

Wiley Publishing John Wiley & Sons, Inc., commonly known as Wiley (), is an American multinational publishing company founded in 1807 that focuses on academic publishing and instructional materials. The company produces books, journals, and encyclopedias, in ...

, volume=77 , issue=1 , date=2020-09-14 , issn=1526-498X , doi=10.1002/ps.6063 , pages=104–112 , pmid=32841491 , s2cid=221327689 {{small, 1=(AJA

ORCID The ORCID (; Open Researcher and Contributor ID) is a nonproprietary alphanumeric code to uniquely identify authors and contributors of scholarly communication as well as ORCID's website and services to look up authors and their bibliographic ...

0000-0003-4878-8848
. (MAC

0000-0003-0783-0333
. {{reflist, group="Ala", refs= {{bulletp.{{nbs6, "Our results show that the east coast is highly suitable for the establishment and spread of ''V. mandarinia'', a zone where this species has not been recorded yet, making it necessary to implement preventive actions to avoid a possible invasion." {{bulletp.{{nbs2, "The abundance of ''V. mandarinia'' is positively associated with amounts of green spaces in urban landscapes, suggesting that the control of their populations should be focused on urban green areas.{{sup, 26" :{{bulletp.{{nbs6, "For canopy cover, a similar result was found by Azmy et al.{{sup, 26 in urban environments in China, where the quality of green areas benefited the abundance of ''V. mandarinia''." {{bulletp.{{nbs4-6: Figure 2B, Figure 3A, Figure 3C, Figure 4 :{{bulletSupplemental #2: Table S5 {{bulletp.{{nbs7, "Here we have estimated an annual projected loss of US$113.7 million per year. However, the costs associated with control actions not included in our study may eventually increase these amounts significantly (i.e. c. US$26 million as estimated by Barbet-Massin et al.{{sup, 12 for ''V. velutina'')." {{bulletp.{{nbs1, "If this species spread across the country, it could threaten 95 216 ± 5551 honey bee colonies, threatening an estimated income of US$ ... 101.8 million for ... bee-pollinated crops production ... while colonizing 60 837.8 km2 of bee-pollinated croplands." :{{bulletp.{{nbs5, "The potential threatened income associated with bee-pollinated croplands reached US$101.8 million per year (Tables S7 and S8)." {{bulletp.{{nbs4-7: Figure 2, §3.2 Threatened colonies, §3.3 Hive products potential losses, §3.4 Threatened bee-pollinated croplands, Figure 4, Figure 5 :{{bulletSupplemental #2: Table S5, Table S6 (mislabeled S5), Table S7, Table S8, Table S9 {{bulletp.{{nbs5, "We also identified that alfalfa/hay, apples, grapes and tobacco are the crops with the largest threatened areas of 58 484.1, 522.9, 468.5 and 432.9 km2, respectively (Table S8)." :{{bulletSupplemental #2: Table S3, Table S8, Table S9 :*Secondary support of Alaniz: ::*{{cite journal , last=Wilson Rankin , first=Erin E , title=Emerging patterns in social wasp invasions , journal= Current Opinion in Insect Science , publisher=

, volume=46 , year=2021 , issn=2214-5745 , doi=10.1016/j.cois.2021.02.014 , pages=72–77 , pmid=33667693, s2cid=232130276 ::*{{cite book , last1=Torezan-Silingardi , first1=Helena Maura , last2=Silberbauer-Gottsberger , first2=Ilse , last3=Gottsberger , first3=Gerhard , title=Plant-Animal Interactions , chapter=Pollination Ecology: Natural History, Perspectives and Future Directions , publisher=

Springer International Publishing Springer Nature or the Springer Nature Group is a German-British academic publishing company created by the May 2015 merger of Springer Science+Business Media and Holtzbrinck Publishing Group's Nature Publishing Group, Palgrave Macmillan, and Macm ...

, publication-place=

Cham, Switzerland Cham is a municipality in the canton of Zug in Switzerland. Location Cham is located on the northern shore of Lake Zug, northwest of the cantonal capital of Zug. Surrounding Cham, Steinhausen is to the east, Hünenberg is to the west, Lake ...

, year=2021 , isbn=978-3-030-66876-1 , doi=10.1007/978-3-030-66877-8_6 , pages=119–174, s2cid=235867972 Page 157. * {{cite journal , last1=Wilson , first1=Telissa M , last2=Takahashi , first2=Junichi , last3=Spichiger , first3=Sven-Erik , last4=Kim , first4=Iksoo , last5=van Westendorp , first5=Paul , editor-last=Szalanski , editor-first=Allen , title=First Reports of ''Vespa mandarinia'' (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) in North America Represent Two Separate Maternal Lineages in Washington State, United States, and British Columbia, Canada , journal=

Annals of the Entomological Society of America Annals ( la, annāles, from , "year") are a concise historical record in which events are arranged chronologically, year by year, although the term is also used loosely for any historical record. Scope The nature of the distinction between ann ...

, publisher=

(

OUP Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...

) , date=7 September 2020 , issn=0013-8746 , doi=10.1093/aesa/saaa024 , s2cid=225315909 {{small, 1=(TMW

0000-0003-2683-4081
. {{reflist, group="Wil"

Further information

* {{cite web , title=How officials in Washington state are attempting to eradicate the 'Murder Hornet' before it spreads , website=

PBS NewsHour ''PBS NewsHour'' is an American evening television news program broadcast on over 350 PBS member stations. It airs seven nights a week, and is known for its in-depth coverage of issues and current events. Anchored by Judy Woodruff, the pro ...

, date=2020-12-12 , url=http://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/the-first-murder-hornet-was-spotted-in-washington-state-how-officials-there-are-attempting-to-eradicate-them , access-date=2020-12-23 * {{cite web , title=Pest Alert: Asian Giant Hornet , website= American Bee Journal , date=2020-02-01 , url=http://americanbeejournal.com/pest-alert-asian-giant-hornet/ , access-date=2021-01-05

External links

{{Commons category, Vespa mandarinia, ''Vespa mandarinia'' {{Wikispecies, Vespa mandarinia, ''Vespa mandarinia''
The Asian Giant Hornet

Yellowjackets and hornets

National Geographic
Asian giant hornet images

Species Profile – Asian Giant Hornet (''Vespa mandarinia)''
National Invasive Species Information Center,

United States National Agricultural Library The United States National Agricultural Library (NAL) is one of the world's largest agricultural research libraries, and serves as a national library of the United States and as the library of the United States Department of Agriculture. Located ...

* {{cite web , title=Asian Giant Hornets , website= Penn State Extension , url=http://extension.psu.edu/asian-giant-hornets , access-date=2020-11-19 , date=6 May 2020 {{Taxonbar, from=Q121791 Hymenoptera of Asia Insects described in 1852 Taxa named by Frederick Smith (entomologist) Vespidae

Taxonomy and phylogeny

Common names

Description

Queens and workers

Drones

Larvae

Genome

Misidentifications

Distribution

Ecological distribution

Geographic distribution

Asia

North America

Nesting

Colony cycle

Pre-nesting period

Solitary, cooperative, and polyethic periods

Dissolution and hibernating period

Sting

Venom

Immunogenicity

Effects on humans

Parasites

Communication and perception

Scent marking

Interspecies dominance

Diet

Native honey bees

Diet in North America

Pollination

Extermination methods

Beating

Nest removal

Bait traps

Mass poisoning

Trapping at hive entrances

Protective screens

Human consumption

Economic impact

Agricultural impact

See also

References

Further information

External links