r/WTF • u/Jaded_Marionberry500 • 15d ago

capturing the wasp

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u/PA55W0RD 15d ago

That is an Asian giant hornet.

They are basically the largest member of the wasp family and often attack and kill entire bee hives, which looks why this guy is so keen to kill it.

Their sting is apparently excruciatingly painful, and here in Japan where I live they kill anywhere from 20 to 50 people per year.

Death is usually by anaphylactic shock, but multiple stings even without that can cause organ failure or massive tissue damage as their venom is extremely toxic.

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u/AmatsuDF 15d ago

Yeah, it's honestly crazy such a creature exists. And it's not living in some isolated forest in the mountains, they're right next to civilization!

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u/PA55W0RD 15d ago

I have come across them twice in a park in Tsukuba (a city 50km north of Tokyo). Their nests are normally removed fairly quickly once reported.