The Asian Giant Hornet, or the “murder hornet,” is the largest hornet species on Earth. They are dark brown velvet with a yellow-orange head and are native to East Asia, Subtropical Asia, and parts of the Russian Far East.
Likewise, they live in low mountains and forests and build their nests in rotted tree roots or human-made structures. These hornets are most active between April and November.
Moreover, they are strategic predators; they hunt colonies of bumble bees and wasps. These types of hornets also prey on nuisance species such as the carpenter bee.
During September and October, they exhibit "hawking," where they hover outside beehives, waiting to swoop down on their prey. Despite their fearsome reputation, they only attack when they feel a threat to their nest.
Username: Nachima Published on 2024-12-13 13:54:03 ID NUMBER: 126911
The European Hornet is the largest wasp species in Europe, measuring up to 1.4 inches. It features an easily recognizable yellow and brown coloring, which resembles an oversized yellow jacket.
Despite their size, they are typically non-confrontational unless provoked. They have adapted well to regions such as Europe, Russia, North America, and Northeast Asia.
They construct their nests in hollow trees using a combination of chewed wood pulp and saliva. However, they will also occupy barns, sheds, and attics if no hollow trees are available.
Their colonies can consist of 200 to 700 members, and they have a strong community culture. These hornets hunt large insects such as beetles and yellow jackets and enjoy honey and fruit juices.
The Asian Giant Hornet, or the “murder hornet,” is the largest hornet species on Earth. They are dark brown velvet with a yellow-orange head and are native to East Asia, Subtropical Asia, and parts of the Russian Far East.
Likewise, they live in low mountains and forests and build their nests in rotted tree roots or human-made structures. These hornets are most active between April and November.
Moreover, they are strategic predators; they hunt colonies of bumble bees and wasps. These types of hornets also prey on nuisance species such as the carpenter bee.
During September and October, they exhibit "hawking," where they hover outside beehives, waiting to swoop down on their prey. Despite their fearsome reputation, they only attack when they feel a threat to their nest.
The Oriental Hornet is a social insect in Southwest Asia, Northeast Africa, and some parts of Southern Europe. It has a brown body with thick yellow bands on its abdomen and yellow patches on its face.
Despite their intimidating appearance and reputation for stinging, these hornets are generally harmless and only attack when threatened. They are active during the day, building their nests underground or taking over abandoned burrows. They help control pest populations.
Interestingly, this type of hornet can harvest solar energy to create electricity inside its exoskeleton2.
The queen is responsible for laying eggs, while the female workers handle the rest of the tasks, such as nest building, food gathering, and protection. Male drones exist solely to win the queen's favor.
The Bald-faced Hornet, also called a White-faced Hornet, is a yellowjacket species in North America. It has a black body with white markings on its face, thorax, and abdomen.
The queens of this species are slightly larger than their counterparts; the workers, drones, and queens all have clear roles in the colony.
Bald-faced Hornets live in large carton nests made from chewed-up wood pulp and saliva. These nests are often in trees, shrubs, or buildings.
These hornets are omnivores, eating insects, caterpillars, spiders, nectar, and fruit juice. Unlike many insects, they are active during the day.
The Greater Banded Hornet lives in South and Southeast Asia. It features distinctive yellow and black bands and can grow to an inch.
Likewise, they make their homes in complex, large nests within the hollows of trees or underground cavities, which can house several thousand colonies.
The hornets consume other wasps, beetles, caterpillars, nectar, and fruit. They are also essential pollinators within their ecosystems.
Notably, the queen is the sole egg-layer at the heart of each colony, surrounded by her daughters who serve as workers.
The workers use hunting methods such as "hawk predation," capturing and killing other flying insects in mid-air. Meanwhile, they also participate in "aerial jousting" to determine dominance.
The Lesser Banded Hornet lives in South and Southeast Asia. It measures between 1 and 1.4 inches in length and lives in colonies ranging from a few hundred to a thousand members.
The hornet feeds mainly on insects such as flies, beetles, and caterpillars. However, it also occasionally consumes nectar and sweet sap, making it a gentle pollinator.
Still, these fiercely territorial hornets will not hesitate to protect their homes. Its stings can be painful, so one must exercise caution around them. There are already many fatality reports of their stings leading to complications like myocardial infarction and multiple organ failure1.
The hornets typically construct their nests in trees, shrubs, or under the eaves of buildings. These nests are crafted from chewed-up wood pulp and have a papery feel.
When spring arrives, one fertilized queen establishes the colony, laying eggs and nurturing the first batch of larvae.
Yellow-legged Hornets are smaller than their European counterparts, with worker hornets ranging from 0.8 to 1.2 inches and queens stretching up to 1.4 inches. They are native to Southeast Asia but have spread to Europe by hitching rides with humans.
These hornets have dark, velvety bodies with yellow stripes and yellow legs. They live in bustling colonies of thousands of members, often found in trees, shrubs, artificial structures, and even ground burrows. Their non-barbed stingers can sting repeatedly and cause significant pain.
They have a preference for honey bees, threatening local honeybee populations. Despite their adverse effects on honey bee populations, Yellow-legged Hornets regulate the populations of other insects in their native ecosystems.
The Common Yellow Hornet, also called the Sandhills Hornet or the Aerial Yellowjacket, is a native species found across North America. It sports a black body with thin yellow bands and yellow legs.
This type of yellowjacket eats grasshoppers, spiders, flies, and ladybugs. Since they nest above trees, they are mostly targeted by birds and other wasps. However, they can spray venoms out of their stings to defend themselves.
The Asian Giant Hornet, or the “murder hornet,” is the largest hornet species on Earth. They are dark brown velvet with a yellow-orange head and are native to East Asia, Subtropical Asia, and parts of the Russian Far East.
Likewise, they live in low mountains and forests and build their nests in rotted tree roots or human-made structures. These hornets are most active between April and November.
Moreover, they are strategic predators; they hunt colonies of bumble bees and wasps. These types of hornets also prey on nuisance species such as the carpenter bee.
During September and October, they exhibit "hawking," where they hover outside beehives, waiting to swoop down on their prey. Despite their fearsome reputation, they only attack when they feel a threat to their nest.
The Eurasian Collared Dove is a bird with a black crescent at the back of its neck that is native to warm, temperate, and subtropical regions of Asia. It has adapted to various environments, and its diet mainly consists of seeds and grains.
Moreover, Eurasian Collared Doves are monogamous, laying two eggs in a cozy nest where both parents share the responsibility of incubation.
This type of dove plays an essential role in seed dispersal and has a unique three-part coo that sounds throughout the day and night.
Eurasian otters live in various habitats, such as freshwater rivers, serene lakes, bustling marshes, and coastal areas. They are the most widespread among the otter species, living not only in Europe but also in Asia and North Africa.
They have dense brown fur coats, cream bellies, and longer tails than the previous type. On average, male otters are 4.6 feet, including tails, and can weigh up to 26 pounds.
Regarding diet, these nocturnals hunt fish, amphibians, crustaceans, and occasionally small birds or mammals.
The Asian Small-Clawed Otter is the world's smallest otter species, reaching only 2 feet and 12 pounds. You can find one in Southeast Asia, from India's mangroves to Indonesia's rice fields, where they feed on crustaceans, mollusks, and small fish.
To distinguish Asian Small-Clawed Otters from the others, their cheeks, chin, throat, and sides of the neck are whitish, transitioning to dark fur at the back and light brown at the underside.
The Asian Giant Hornet, or the “murder hornet,” is the largest hornet species on Earth. They are dark brown velvet with a yellow-orange head and are native to East Asia, Subtropical Asia, and parts of the Russian Far East.
Likewise, they live in low mountains and forests and build their nests in rotted tree roots or human-made structures. These hornets are most active between April and November.
Moreover, they are strategic predators; they hunt colonies of bumble bees and wasps. These types of hornets also prey on nuisance species such as the carpenter bee.
During September and October, they exhibit "hawking," where they hover outside beehives, waiting to swoop down on their prey. Despite their fearsome reputation, they only attack when they feel a threat to their nest.
The multicolored Asian Lady Beetle, or Harlequin, originates from eastern Asia, though humans brought it to the United States and other countries to control pests.
Harlequin ladybugs exhibit three main physical variations. The "succinea" variety ranges from orange to red with up to 22 black spots.
Conversely, the "conspicua" and "spectabilis" forms are primarily black with two or four red markings, respectively. The pronotum pattern varies, and their undersides are dark, ringed with reddish-brown, matching their brown legs.
Asian Lady Beetles are notorious for being highly invasive. They often overwinter indoors, smell unpleasant when disturbed, and can bite humans. Their threat to native species and the grape industry has led to control methods2, including insecticides, trapping, beetle removal, and blocking building access.
The Eurasian Hobby lives in Europe, Asia, and Africa. It is known for its agility and precision while hunting dragonflies, butterflies, and other insects in mid-air.
Likewise, it is a relatively small raptor, with a body length typically between 12-14 inches and around 0.5 pounds. It carries an aesthetically pleasing mix of colors on its feathers: its back and wings are bluish-gray. At the same time, the underparts have a reddish tint. Its beak is dark, sharply hooked, and well-suited for carnivorous preferences.
It builds its nest by repurposing the abandoned nests of other birds. Moreover, it hunts silently by surprising its prey as it flies low over water bodies or vegetation.
Asian Elephants inhabit various habitats ranging from India and Nepal to Southeast Asia, including Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, China, and Malaysia.
They are smaller than their African counterparts, standing at 9 feet and weighing 8,800 pounds on average. Their heads have two humps and small, rounded ears.
Only male Asian elephants have long tusks, while females have small ones called tushes. However, some may never grow tusks, depending on their genetic makeup. These megaherbivores consume up to 330 pounds of vegetation daily, including grass, leaves, shoots, barks, fruits, nuts, and seeds.
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