 there are piles of heads, limbs and various other body parts. At that point the hornets gorge on the honey and rip the bee larvae (young) and pupae from their cells and carry them back to their nest to feed to their young.
However all is not totally lost. There is different species of honeybee which naturally occurs in Japan that has a defensive tactic it uses against these invaders. When a single hornet in search a beehive is detected, hundreds of the worker bees gather at the hive entrance but readily allow the hornet to enter. Once in the hive the bees immediately surround and totally cover the hornet with a ball-like mass of up to 500 individuals. They prevent the hornet from moving and begin to vibrate their wings muscles. This action produces heat raising the temperature in the center of the mass (where the hornet occurs) to around 117 F. This temperature is not lethal to the bees but the hornet cannot tolerate temperatures above 113 F and subsequently dies. Of course action prevents the “scout” hornet from releasing its pheromones which would normally attract other hornets in the vicinity to mass attack the hive.
In the mountains of Japan where these hornets are commonly encountered villagers eat them deep fried. Also a number of companies in Europe and Japan have begun to manufacture diet supplements and energy drinks which contain synthetic versions of secretions which the larval hornets feed to adults. The product sold as “hornet juice” is said to greatly enhance human endurance.
Parasitic (Parasitoids) Hymenoptera
There are many families of Hymenoptera that are parasitic. In strict entomological terms they are referred to as parasitoids. In the world of bugs parasite refers to an insect or one of its relatives (e.g. mites) that feeds on a host from a different groups animals (e.g. humans) but does not generally kill it in doing so. Example of this would include fleas, mites, lice and many others. A parasitoid is an insect or relative that typically lays its egg or eggs on or in its host which typicall