The black hornet, or Dybowski's hornet (Vespa dybowskii), is one of the rarest hornets in our country. The number of this species in our territories is so small that, for example, it is listed in the regional Red Book of the Chita region. In addition to Transbaikalia, this insect can occasionally be found in Primorye and the Amur region. The main habitat of the black hornet is located in China, India, Burma, Thailand, Japan and Korea.
It is noteworthy that if we consider all areas of habitat of this species as a whole, we cannot unequivocally state its small numbers. This fact is explained by the fact that the rarity of encounters with an insect still does not accurately reflect its actual prevalence.
Within its range as a whole, the black hornet is not an endangered insect. Simply due to some features of their biology, these hornets, in principle, are never numerous anywhere - even in their main habitat areas. However, this species has a stable population.
Habitat and lifestyle
The Dybovsky hornet is considered the rarest insect in Russia. Its numbers are small. You can meet him in Transbaikalia, and if you’re lucky, in the Amur region. The most common dipteran is in China, Thailand, Japan, and Korea.
This is interesting! The black hornet is able to penetrate and take over the nest of smaller relatives.
In general, if you look at the habitat, it cannot be said that there are very few insects. They just can live in favorable environments to increase their numbers. This species is widespread in Asia. The insects are rare in Europe. The behavioral characteristics of insects make them few in number in any particular habitat. Hornets have a stable population.
Alert
Common hornets are social insects and are capable of stinging an enemy in an entire nest for defense purposes. This is dangerous for animals and humans. If someone threatens the hive, the insect releases an alarm pheromone, a substance that calls other hornets to attack.
You should not destroy the hornet near the hive, as a result of which the pheromone will rebel the swarm to attack the offender. Tissues that come into good contact with the pheromone also serve as a signal for an attack: clothing, skin, inanimate hornets and their prey, food seasonings, banana and apple fragrances containing alcohols and ethers.
Nutrition and reproduction
Adults feed on the nectar of flowers and can attack someone else's hive in search of food. They also love ripe berries and fruits, sometimes making them unsuitable for further use.
The new offspring eat differently. Animal protein is needed for their development. Adult insects catch various flies, small wasps and bees for their larvae. Then they chew all this, and give the resulting food to the larvae. Those, in turn, secrete a substance with a sweet taste in the form of droplets that hornets like.
This is interesting! A special feature of the black hornet is its ability to live and develop in other people's nests.
In the autumn, the female begins to look for a home for breeding new offspring. She watches tree insects and selects a smaller species, after which she attacks the queen. If she manages to win the battle for her place of residence, then she gets new hornets with dark brown or blue wings. However, there may be many soldier hornets in the nest, which fiercely defend their queen's right to rule the colony.
After a change of owner, the new individual secretes special substances that help it disguise itself as a dead insect. The worker hornets mistake her for their queen and continue to live in the hive as usual.
Next, the female lays eggs, from which larvae later emerge. Working insects feed them until they grow into adults. Later mating occurs, and some of the hornets die. Females leave the destroyed nest and go in search of a new home.
It is not often that you see hornets building their own home and living in peace and harmony. This is possible if there is no other nest in the area that can be occupied. With a long search, mass death of hornets can occur.
Lifestyle
Hornets of any kind can attack a hive. Bee honey and syrup are no less suitable for food than flower nectar. Hornets themselves do not produce honey.
Someone else's nest
Representatives of the species Vespa Dybowskii are able to parasitize:
- In the spring, the fertilized female queen ends up in the nest of other insects (Crabro or Simillima) and she kills the current queen.
- Without destroying the old hornets, the new species of hornets displace the population in the nest;
- Males and new queens hatch in the fall.
- By winter, the males die, and each fertilized female finds a refuge where she lives until spring.
There is no honey inside the nest in winter, and the female queen also dies.
Selection
Hornets usually attack bees in the fall, and not always, but only when there is a reduction in food. The attack is aimed at old or sick bees. That is, the hornet and the bee are not at all enemies of each other. So says beekeeper from the Mtsensk region Dmitry Karpukhin, who has a nest with hornets in his apiary.
Of course, predatory species contribute to selection. But predatory insects themselves can be taught to feed on pollen. It will become the main source of protein. In general, Dmitry strives to breed hornets with vegetarian tendencies. And honey is not used for feeding!
What does a hornet look like?
Visually, scolias are very similar to hornets: they have the same dark color and belong to the same family. Its main difference from an ordinary representative of the family is its color. But what about the Dybovsky hornet, because it also has a dark body color. Scientists say that large scolius has two transverse orange stripes on its abdomen. However, not everyone knows this feature and therefore can confuse insects.
Quite often, scolias are mistaken for a hornet. The optimal length of scolius is 45 mm, but sometimes it reaches 60 mm. There is no need to navigate by the length of the insect.
Scolia gigantea - a wasp from the Red Book
Description of the species
Black hornet.
Body size is from 1.8 to 3.5 cm. In rare cases, it can reach 5 cm. The insect has a black body color and dark wings. The wings come with a blue tint.
At the end of the belly there is an ovipositor. It performs the function of a sting. The difference from its relatives is the absence of transverse stripes and a completely dark body. There are no yellow spots on the body.
Hornet danger
Knowing what a black hornet looks like can help you avoid encountering it. An insect bite is much more painful than an ordinary one. If we compare the black with the Asian, the latter type causes much more pain and consequences from the bite. The Asian hornet is a large insect with a painful sting that can cause tissue swelling (Vespa Mandarinia: royal murder hornet (Asian) is written in more detail in the article here). The venom of the Asian hornet is toxic.
If a colony of such insects attacks a person, this can lead to adverse consequences. The reaction from a bite can vary. The composition of the black hornet's venom differs from that of the ordinary one. The toxicity of the black hornet is much lower than that of the Asian hornet.
The poison contains the following components:
- bradykinin;
- histamine;
- antigens;
- formic acid.
The hornet itself does not attack a person just like that. This usually occurs when the hive is damaged by humans. You should not touch the hornets’ home if they suddenly settled in your summer cottage. After the main housewife leaves the house, it can be removed. A hornet can sting several times.
A disaster for humans or a decoration of nature
In a global sense, giant Asian hornets are, of course, dangerous to people, but this danger is not critical, since it is entirely provoked by man himself. These insects are not very aggressive by nature; they will only attack in self-defense or protecting a nest.
Photo 14.
Hornets cause much more damage to apiaries, especially those where less aggressive European honey bees are bred. Sometimes hornets manage to destroy an entire bee family in a few hours, and therefore local beekeepers wage an ongoing systematic fight against them.
In general, the mortality rate from giant hornet bites is quite high: in some regions, up to 100 people die per year. But in fairness, it should be said that most of the dead are the same beekeepers who, without special means of protection, actively destroy hornet nests and, as a result, fall under their massive attacks.
A simple tourist who accidentally finds himself in the forest next to the Vespa Mandarinia hornet should not be afraid of this insect - it will not attack without a reason.
Photo 15.
In the West, many dietary supplements add synthetic substances similar to the secretion contained in developing hornet larvae. These components are believed to increase human endurance. However, there is no experimental evidence for these claims.
In conclusion, it should be noted that for wildlife, giant hornets are one of the most active natural orderlies. They successfully destroy many forest and agricultural pests, therefore, in most biocenoses - including agricultural lands - they are useful and deserve protection.
Photo 16.
Photo 17.
Photo 18.
Photo 19.
Photo 20.
Several dozen hornets completely destroyed a bee hive
https://youtube.com/watch?v=t6gpCqWgaBc%3Fwmode%3Dopaque%26wmode%3Dopaque
https://youtube.com/watch?v=CkZInqR3Qb0%3Fwmode%3Dopaque%26wmode%3Dopaque
sources
https://klop911.ru/shershni-i-osy/shershni/shershen-vespa-mandarinia.html
Huge Asian Hornet
Asian giant hornet (lat. Vespa mandarina)
The original article is on the website Link to the article from which this copy was made.
First aid for bites
If no reaction appears in the first hours after the bite, then medical procedures can be avoided.
If unfavorable symptoms appear, it is advisable to perform the following actions:
- Treat the bite site with hydrogen peroxide, a solution of potassium permanganate and ammonia prepared in a ratio of 1:5. If this is not at hand, you can rinse with plenty of water.
- To prevent rapid absorption of the venom, apply ice or a cooling pack to the bite site. You can also fill a heating pad with ice water and apply it to the affected area.
- To eliminate the appearance of too strong painful sensations, the bite site is sprinkled with acetylsalicylic acid powder. You can also use herbal ingredients: plantain leaf, dandelion juice, parsley root or leaves. Applying a piece of onion to the affected area also helps.
- If you are bitten by an insect, drink as much fluid as possible. It is advisable to drink clean still water.
Why do insects imitate wasps?
Predators with a long striped body and a stinger hunt for insects. Individuals attack prey that is much larger than them. The poison poisons the victim, and strong jaws help cope with resistance and crush tissue. Due to the aggressive behavior of wasps, even large animals and birds avoid them.
Mimicry as a predator protects against attack. The close external resemblance and coloring of the imitator deceives the aggressor. In butterflies and flies, the method protects against mobile vertebrates that use good vision. Bright, striped spots on the abdomen warn the hunter that the object is about to sting.
Mimicry of wasp predators increases safety. The poisonous specimen declares its inedibility. Each generation of animals learns through personal experience. If the aggressor has encountered the original source, he will not risk contacting the bug.
Wasps are dangerous predators that are avoided by animals, birds and insects. Successful imitation will protect the offspring and save lives. Imitators often live next to the object of mimicry and completely adopt the habits.
Symptoms and consequences of a bite
After a bite, the following symptoms are possible:
- throbbing severe pain;
- cardiopalmus;
- feeling of shortness of breath;
- severe itching.
Also, in more sensitive people, swelling of the mucous membranes and headache are added to these symptoms. Quincke's edema is possible, although it is rare.
Providing first aid
Even an unqualified person can provide assistance.
You just need to follow these steps:
- Place ice on the bite site.
- To avoid an allergic reaction, give the victim anti-allergy medications. These are Cetrin, Suprastin or Tavegil tablets. To provide a faster effect, it is better to administer the antihistamine intramuscularly.
- Carefully monitor the victim; at the slightest development of severe swelling, you must call an ambulance.
Allergic reaction
All people react differently to the penetration of foreign substances into the body. A person may develop a response despite being in good health.
Approximately 6% of the population develops anaphylactic shock after being bitten. This condition requires mandatory medical care.
Allergy symptoms:
- severe reaction to the bite;
- swelling of soft tissues and mucous membranes;
- anaphylactic shock.
