Asian Giant Hornet

The world's largest hornet at 5 cm long/Insects & Arachnids

The Asian giant hornet (Vespa mandarinia) is the world's largest hornet species, with queens reaching 5.5 cm in length and a wingspan of 7.5 cm. Workers are about 4 cm long. Its 6.25 mm stinger delivers a potent venom that can dissolve human tissue and cause kidney failure in severe cases. A group of 30 hornets can destroy an entire honeybee colony of 30,000 in just a few hours. Japanese honeybees have developed a defense: swarming an invading hornet and vibrating to raise the temperature to about 320 K, killing it with heat.