Asian giant hornet

Male Vespa mandarinia.DSC 1515

The Asian giant hornet (Vespa mandarinia), including the color form referred to as the Japanese giant hornet, is the world's largest hornet. It is native to temperate and tropical East Asia, South Asia, Mainland Southeast Asia, and parts of the Russian Far East. It was also found in the Pacific Northwest 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.

Asian Giant Hornet Media

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  Operara di Vespa mandarinia magnifica, collezione privata, F. Turetta.

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  Vespa mandarinia

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  Color creation applied.

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  Vespa mandarinia japonica1

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  Vespa mandarinia japonica

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  A defensive ball of Japanese honey bees (A. c. japonica) in which two Japanese hornets (V. simillima xanthoptera) are engulfed, incapacitated, heated, and eventually killed. This sort of defense is also used against the Asian giant hornet.