The sting of a hornet is the most important and practically the only means of self-defense for this insect. For hunting and food extraction, the hornet uses it rarely. However, the presence of a very strong poison, as well as the fact that the sting is perfectly adapted to penetration into the integuments of other animals, indicate that to protect yourself or your nest Hornet has to constantly.
In the photo - the hornet sting with a sufficiently large increase:
The hornet is an insect as a whole is not aggressive, its sting is used only when it is impossible to hide from an attack or when protecting a nest. This feature suggests that if the hornet is stung, it is exactly the stung that is to blame for this - without a serious reason the insect will not attack.
At the same time, despite its peace-loving nature, the stinging hornet is very dangerous: even in insect-resistant people, stinging the hornet causes extensive edema and acute pain.
The majority of victims of the hornet sting have fever, chills, dizziness, headaches, and in especially serious cases - anaphylactic shock and angioedema, which, unfortunately, can be fatal for a stung person.
On a note
As a result of sting hornets around the world, people are regularly dying. The greatest number of victims is in Southeast Asia: in Japan alone, more than 40 people die every year from the bites of local hornets. A similar situation is observed in some provinces of China. If a person is distinguished by increased sensitivity to the poison of insects, death may occur from a meeting with the common European hornet, but such cases are extremely rare.
It is worth noting that the symptoms of intoxication with the poisons of the hornet and the bees are similar, but the sting process and the sting itself are different from those of the bees.
If a bee can sting only once in a lifetime, then the sting of a hornet is a reusable weapon. Some species of these insects at sting danger with a speed of several injections per second without harm to their health. The reason for this - a special structure sting at the hornet.
Photography and anatomy of a hornet sting
The hornet's sting is a modified ovipositor connected to a special venom gland. Unlike riders - related insects - hornets in a quiet state are able to hide the sting in the abdomen and push it only in order to sting the offender. Riders are not able to draw their sting into the body cavity.
In the photo below - the sting of an ordinary hornet:
The length of the sting varies in different species of hornet: in Europe it reaches 3-6 mm, and, for example, have giant asian hornet - up to 8 mm. The sting of the representatives of the last species is considered one of the largest in the whole detachment.
The sting of a huge hornet is seen in the photo:
What other features does a hornet have? This insect has a smooth sting without spines and spines. Thanks to this structure after bite hornet easily removes the sting from the wound and can sting again. By this his weapon compares favorably with the analogue of a honeybee: its sting has a saw-like shape and gets stuck in a thick human skin.
After a bite, the bee dies in a few minutes, because of the nature of its structure, its sting comes off with a part of its internal organs.
On a note
For the bee, only the attack on mammals with thick skin is deadly. At the same time, the bee quietly takes out the sting from the integuments of the body of insects and can use it in the future.
It was the ability of the hornet to sting several times led to the erroneous opinion that the hornet had several stings. But this is not at all the case: if the hornet loses its sting for some reason, it will die, just like a bee.
Another feature of the anatomy of the hornet is that its sting is connected to a special gland that produces poison as needed.
The hornet in the reserve constantly has a toxin, the amount of which is enough for 4-5 bites. Thanks to the well-functioning of the gland within a few hours after stinging, the spent poison is completely replenished.
The sting in the work: how is the "bite" of the hornet
The release of poison from the sting results from the contraction of the muscle surrounding the poison gland. The hornet is able to fully control this process.
The sting extends from the end of the abdomen as soon as the insect decides to sting the offender or the victim. However, usually the hornet still prefers to kill the prey with its jaws, even if it is for quite a long time, rather than using a sting. This suggests that the insect is very economical with its poison and spends it only in exceptional cases.
Here is another photo of the hornet sting (with a drop of poison at the end):
On a note
In one bite, the hornet injects 0.5 mg of a poisonous substance into the body of the victim. The dry mass of the poison is 0.19 mg. This is enough to cause a general allergic reaction.
After introducing his weapon into the body of the victim, the hornet releases a drop of poison, and then removes the sting. Due to the presence of acetylcholine, the toxin instantly affects the nerve endings at the site of the bite and causes pain even before the sting is removed from under the skin.
The video clearly shows how the hornet stings:
The mechanism of action sting giant hornet
If the danger has not passed, the hornet stings again. Such tactics are more effective than simply injecting poison into the water and the same place without removing the stinger. This is because the impact of the toxin with this method of destruction extends to all new nerve endings, which only increases the pain.
On a note
A stinging hornet, like a stinging bee, are well-recognized symbols in certain circles.A tattoo with a stinging hornet means that a person is calm, hardworking and clean, but, if necessary, can be tough and able to protect himself and his interests. Such a tattoo is very common among the Japanese mafia Yakuza.
A bit about the functions of the sting
The hornet is an active predator, therefore its sting is often used specifically for food, and not for protection. However, in the overwhelming majority of cases, the hornets have to use their weapons only when their victim is too large or is well protected by a dense shell. For the killing of smaller prey, it is quite costly alone with its jaws.
For clarity, we can give an example: when attacking spiders or bumblebees capable of giving a fitting rebuff, the hornet is forced to use a sting. If the hornets attack a beehive, each of the predators can destroy up to a thousand bees without a single sting, killing only with their jaws.
It is worth noting that most hornets do not get their whole life protected by a sting - few people attack these insects. But the hornet has to use poison for getting food almost daily.
On a note
Each hornet catches up to 15-20 insects per day.At least 1-2 of them are too large to be managed only with the help of the jaws.
First aid rules for hornet bites
If the hornet is still stung, the first thing you need to immediately handle the wound. It makes no sense to spend time and look for the sting itself - the insect must have taken it with him.
Moreover, you should not press on the stung place, trying to squeeze out the poison. Such an action will lead to increased blood circulation and, consequently, accelerate the spread of the toxin under the skin.
The first actions for a hornet bite should be:
- Treat the bite site with acetic or citric acid, then with alcohol or hydrogen peroxide.
- Apply wet sugar for a few minutes, and a cold compress on top.
- Treat the skin around the bite with Fenistil or Soventol gels.
- Drink as much water or sweet tea as possible.
At the first symptoms of an allergic reaction - dizziness, nausea, fever - the victim should be taken to hospital as soon as possible. In this case, it is not necessary to apply the means of symptomatic treatment, since it is not known how the body can react to additional substances.The only drugs that can be drunk at the onset of allergies are Suprastin and Dimedrol. They will help reduce the strength of the manifestation of the reaction of the organism.
The main thing when stinging hornet is not to ignore the unequivocal symptoms of toxin poisoning. An allergic reaction to insect venom can develop even in a physically strong and healthy person, and with each new bite it will be stronger. Be attentive to yourself and your health, make sure that the consequences are not too serious!
Useful video: a hornet bite can really be fatal to humans
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"The length of the sting varies in different types of hornets: in Europe it reaches only 1.5-2 mm." Not true. Actually measured - at least 5-6 mm (from our, European).
Thanks for the information! Once again, we studied this question and made adjustments to the text of the article: when fully nominated, much more than 2 mm were indeed made.
Thanks for the article, I learned a lot! Now I will definitely run around the garden shouting 😀 Thank you very much, I especially liked that the photo was attached to the description, the author of this article is a big plus!
I agree, but you forgot that the hornet is KILLING.
I am a Crimean, I remember in my childhood (mid-1970s, Evpatoria) at the age of 10, we hunted hornets and were stoned from a thistle with stones.Painted like an wasp common, but huge, hairy and sting triple. Three needles from the abdomen climbs. I remember exactly.