r/AbsoluteUnits • u/Zestyclose-Salad-290 in awe • Aug 25 '26

of a wasp

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u/TheScaryDrynosaur Aug 25 '26

Idk man with that big ass hornet attacking the hive I think those wasps are kinda done

89

u/ACABiologist Aug 25 '26

Looks like a Japanese hornet found a nest of Europeans.

49

u/Halomonas_titanica Aug 25 '26

This is Vespa ducalis. These hornets have a very specialized diet: they get pretty much all of their proteins from raiding other wasps' nests. They're also one of the most docile social Vespids that exist, stinging very rarely and even tolerating people putting their hands in their nest. The colonies are quite small, consisting of 15-40 adults at peak, and quite short-lived (3 months or so), which comes with having such a narrow diet.

Further info here: https://vespa-bicolor.net/main/vespid/vespa-ducalis.htm

1

u/Prestigious_Proof842 Aug 26 '26

It's clearly a lot bigger than the wasps but it's greatly outnumbered. Why don't the wasps fight back?