A short fable about Japan

Day 1,829, 07:56 • Published in Japan Japan • by Koppanyi Ferenc


Do you know the largest hornet of the Word? It's the Japanese giant hornet (大雀蜂 or Oo-Suzumebachi) which can be more than 4 cm (1.6 in) long. It has a venom which is injected by the 6.25 mm-long (quarter-inch) stinger and attacks the nervous system and damages tissues of its victims. On average 40 people die every year of anaphylactic shock after having been stung.

These hornets are predators, their diet consists of a wide range of insects, also the bees. But only the European honey bees, not the endemic Japanese honey bees, which have a special technique to protect themselves. When a hornet approaches the hive, the bee workers form a ball around the hornet and vibrate their wings. The hornet can survive maximum temperatures of 44–46 °C, but the interior temperature of the ball rises over 47 °C, so the hornet will be killed.