The hornet lays eggs in animals. Who is a hornet? Appearance and anatomy of our largest wasp

AT temperate latitudes, in which we live, there are not so many insects that can seriously harm a person. Hornet is one of them. People say that a few bites can kill a person. In 2004, a terrible story happened in Pärnu when a hornet bit a man between the eyebrows and a few seconds later from anaphylactic shock the elderly man died.

Let's get to know each other better and see in more detail how dangerous this insect is, we will see interesting photos and videos...

Hornet, rough wasp ( Latin name Vespa crabro) is an insect from the wasp family (Latin name Vespidae).

The hornet is one of the largest European wasps (the back is up to 3 centimeters long in the female). The male is usually about 24 mm, the working wasp up to 22 mm, brownish or red-brown in color with a brownish-yellow pattern on the head and wide yellow borders on the abdominal segments. Wings yellowish. In males, the antennal flagellum is pointed and consists of 12 segments; in females and workers, it is formed of 11 segments.

People call them winged corsairs or pirates. This is known to all hornets - Vespa belonging to the class of insects - Insecta, the order of Hymenoptera - Hymenoptera, the family of folded paper wasps - Vespidae.

• Around the world, 23 species of hornets and many of their subspecies are known.

Asian giant hornet

Hornets are predators. They kill their prey with a sting or tear it apart with their jaws. Flies, mosquitoes, beetles, gadflies, wasps, grasshoppers, caterpillars, dragonflies, butterflies, spiders, weakened bees become victims of predators. Hornets can also hunt for nocturnal insects.

• Per day big family winged corsairs can catch more than 500 grams of insects. Hornets are useful for the garden and vegetable garden!

In different habitats of the Asian hornet, I call it differently. For example, in Japan, the name “sparrow-bee” was attached to it (due to the large wingspan). In Taiwan, it was nicknamed the "tiger bee" (due to its specific color: black stripes on a yellow body). You can also meet a giant hornet here in Russia - in the region of Primorsky Krai. In our country, it is simply called - "AAAAAA ..., remove it quickly, AAAAAAA ......".

The Asian hornet earned its notoriety due to its highly toxic poison, which it has in abundance. According to the level of toxicity, the bite is many times more dangerous than bites other hornets, because it contains a large amount of poison. Such a bite can be fatal. The hornet's primary weapon is a 6mm sting that mercilessly pierces human flesh and injects toxins.

The deadly properties of the poison received due to the content of a high concentration of mandorotoxin. In addition to it, the poison also contains toxic substances that cause the destruction of human tissue. Fuuuuuu…… But the worst thing is different. These toxins attract other giant hornets.

japanese huge hornet

Compared to our cute bees, which leave their stinger where they sting, the Asian hornet can use its stinger multiple times.

Jaws are another terrible weapon Shusha, but not for humans, but for other insects. In particular, for ordinary hardworking bees. Hornets are their No. 1 natural enemy. Voracious giants attack bee nests to dine on their larvae. There is a case when 30 large hornets cut 3,000 bees in an hour and a half. Hornets crush their prey with powerful jaws, like a gardener wielding his scissors.

But the bees also do not remain in debt. They developed their own defense tactics. To fight the bees use 2 methods - carbon dioxide and heat. They create “bee balls” around the hornet and kill the enemy in 10 minutes. This is due to the high temperature that forms inside this ball. In addition, the concentration of carbon dioxide sharply increases in it, which, in combination with high temperature kills giant insects.

For a person, a sting by a giant Asian hornet is a serious danger. It has a 6mm venomous stinger. Its venom is based on the extremely toxic substance mandorotoxin, which, when bitten, seems to “burn through” human skin.

A Japanese scientist has discovered that some cosmetics contain substances that attract these killers. This discovery has great importance for Japanese residents, because in this country more than 70 people die from wasp and hornet stings every year.

The hornet will never fly to a table where there is sweet, will not persistently climb into a jar of jam or sit on a fragrant pie or grapes. In this he differs from annoying wasps and always tries to fly away from a person and not collide with him.

Hornets attack humans only when real threat their dwelling. If you accidentally or deliberately damage their nest, do not expect mercy. They will fiercely defend their offspring from uninvited guests. Unlike bees, the hornet stings repeatedly, as long as it has enough poison for this.

The bite of the common hornet is painful to humans, but the toxicity of the poison varies significantly depending on the species of hornets: some sting no more than many other insects, while some individuals are generally ranked among the most poisonous insects known today. Allergic reactions to a bite in some cases can be fatal if the victim of anaphylactic shock is not immediately provided with medical assistance.

The consequences of a "bite" of a hornet depend on the reaction of the body of the stung. The venom of common hornets and most species of hornets is less toxic than bee sting; the sting does not remain in the wound when injected. A large amount of poison injected by a hornet causes quite serious inflammation. With high individual sensitivity (allergy), the consequences may be more severe, and with a large number of injections (for example, if a hornet's nest was disturbed), it is possible fatal outcome. The poison of Asian species is more toxic than that of European species, and besides, they are noticeably larger. On the Schmidt Sting Pain Scale, the pain from a hornet sting is roughly comparable to that from a honey bee sting and is in the middle of the scale (moderately severe pain). Thus, the fear of a hornet is largely exaggerated: its “bite” is not commensurate with the size of this insect.

Hornets cause significant harm in forests, where they gnaw at the bark of young trunks or branches of ash, alder, birch, willow, linden and other trees to get building material for themselves. With a strong gnaw, the tops of young trees may dry out or grow incorrectly. Harm from the hornet wasp is observed mainly in young ash stands.

The hornet is found in almost all of Eurasia, reaching in the north to Finland. In Russia, it can be found even in Siberia. Especially a lot of it in the Primorsky Territory.

Hornets feed the larvae mainly with live food. Many insects become their prey, which they are able to kill with a sting or simply with their jaws. The prey is immediately gnawed. If the food is a bee, then the hornet gnaws off its head and abdomen, and carefully chews the chest and feeds the larvae with this “gruel”. The adult itself prefers nectar and other sweet foods. Therefore, located near the apiary or directly on it, the hornets cause serious damage to it.

According to V.A. Kadymov and X.3. Asker-Zade (1989), most often after making several circles over the hives, the hornet sits near the notch and begins to lie in wait for prey. During the attack of a predator, worker bees, having grappled with each other, form a strong chain that protects the notch. The attacking hornet must first break through it, which does not always succeed. Grabbing the bee, he kills it and sucks the nectar from the honey stomach. Then it flies up to the nearest tree or plant and, clinging to a branch with its hind legs, hanging upside down, gnaws off its head, legs, antennae and abdomen. The hornet performs all this in 2.5-3 minutes.

The chest of the bee is clamped by the jaws and carried to the nest, where the brought food is distributed among the working individuals, which, having made a homogeneous mass, feed the larvae with it. The hunter hornet returns to the hive again. During an attack, sometimes 30–40 bees and even more attack him at the same time, stinging at the joint between the head and chest, which leads to paralysis and then death of the predator.

When hunting for bees, the hornets try to drive each other away from the hive, sometimes a fight breaks out between them, which sometimes lasts for an hour. The winner immediately finishes off the victim: having captured the enemy’s chest with his jaws, he flies away towards the nest or immediately eats it on the spot. Fighting hornets usually refer to individuals from different nests, as evidenced by their approach to the hives from different sides.

Hornets begin to hunt for bees from 9 o'clock in the morning. Most of all they exterminate bees from 11 to 13 hours, then a break, and after 16 hours and until 19 (20) hours the hunt continues.

During the period of maximum abundance, each working individual of the hornet makes 40–45 foraging flights from the nest during the day. Each hunting hornet destroys one, and sometimes two bees in 15 minutes, and, according to our data, in August, September and the first half of October, when the bees are preparing for wintering, for 15 minutes of observations in the apiary, the maximum number of predators was noted - 45÷ 60 individuals.

The hornet not only hunts for bees, but also climbs into the hive for honey. This usually happens in autumn, when families are already gathering in a club, while he feasts on honey and attacks bees, most often killing them. If the beekeeper does not notice the predators on the notch in time, then they can destroy them in a short time. big number the inhabitants of the hive, as they will only visit this nest.

Man learned to make paper about 2300 years ago, but hornets and wasps "invented" it much earlier - several million years ago! The secret of making a nest is very simple: the insect tears off pieces of wood fibers from a dead tree or pole, wets them with its saliva and kneads them, turning them into a paste, which it uses when building a nest. Hornets build nests of very impressive size, but, unfortunately, they are short-lived. The reason for their fragility is poor resistance to moisture, and over time they become loose.

In the XVIII century, a major French scientist Réaumur was the first to discover the "invention" of hornets. Before that, people made paper from rags, and Réaumur suggested using wood chips as well. The principle of paper production has not changed, man has only modified it in order to obtain paper of different grades.

The hornet's nest is built new every year, since all its inhabitants die by winter, except for the queens that establish new colonies. Young fertilized females with the advent of cold weather are looking for a reliable place where, without freezing, they can hibernate. And in the spring, feverish work begins again. Encouraged by the warmth, female hornets look for a suitable place in a hollow or in an underground hole, the first few cells are molded from chewed wood and eggs are laid in them. The female that has appeared feeds intensively, and soon she has reliable helpers - working hornets. So in the works is not a short summer for hornets. The hornet nest reaches its maximum size only by the end of summer.

Hornets eat other insects and love mulberries. In summer, they strip off the youngest ash, alder, birch, willow, and poplar trees, or the branches of older trees. They tear off strips of wood 50 cm long or more, just to get to the juice.

The hornet colony only exists for a few months. It consists of the uterus that created it, working hornets, future queens and males devoid of sting. Workers are usually small (from 400 to 700, rarely up to 1500), while the common wasp sometimes has 5000 insects in one nest.

A big mistake will be made by one who, mistaking hornets for bees, climbs into a hollow to get hold of honey. The ferocity of huge wasps knows no bounds, and their poison is strong, and there is a lot of it. Hornets cause a lot of inconvenience to beekeepers (locating their nests nearby) as they steal honey from hives. But the beekeepers themselves say in such cases: “It’s more fun with them in the apiary ... All living things have their purpose. Let them live."

Hornets are excellent architects and builders. They make their nest from rotten wood, which they chew and mix with saliva. From the resulting substance, the hornets build honeycombs and the shell of the nest, using their saliva as glue. The dried shell of the nest strongly resembles corrugated paper. The color of the shell depends on the type of wood from which it is made.

Hornets never use their nest for the second year. In the spring, after wintering, the hornet queen finds a convenient place to build a new nest. She attaches a small leg to the ceiling, on which she makes the first honeycomb cells.

Being in the nest, the hornets emit a lot of liquid, which flows out of the structure in drops. So that the ceiling insulation does not get wet, I put a container under the nest. For the life cycle of the hornet family had to endure almost two buckets their waste products. And at the end of September, the hornets began to actively throw out undeveloped larvae.

The queen lays eggs in the honeycomb, from which the larvae develop. Gradually, the honeycombs increase in size, the first working hornets appear, which are included in the construction of the nest

The nest grows from top to bottom, while the number of tiers with combs increases and a multilayer nest shell is formed. The more tiers of honeycombs are laid, the more hornets will live in this nest. The shell of the structure up to 8 centimeters protects the larvae of the hornets from the summer heat, accidental cold snaps and drafts.

According to the literature, big family insect nests reach a diameter of 1.5 meters!

Until the very frosts, life is in full swing in the nest of insects. By mid-October, all working hornets die, and young queens will find sheltered places for wintering with slight temperature fluctuations, where they will stay motionless until spring, waiting out the severe winter cold.

Most entomologists consider hornets to be beneficial insects. In Germany and some federal states of Austria, they are protected and their destruction is prohibited by law.

And yet, no matter how excellent builders the hornets are and no matter how peacefully they behave, one must try to keep them away from humans. The easiest way to get rid of hornets is at the very beginning of summer, when the young queen is just laying the future nest. At this time, there are still very few insects, and a person can cope with them.

There is an opinion that a large hornet nest can be destroyed at night by placing it in a plastic bag or by spraying insecticides on the nest. But in a large nest, it is difficult to spray poison so that it acts on individuals in its entirety. In addition, few people know that hornets never sleep, they navigate well in the dark and will easily attack a person at night. And it is also known that hornets stay overnight where the night found them. Arriving in the morning in their destroyed nest, the hornets will sting everything that moves. A fun life for a couple of days will be provided to you!

If you find a large nest of hornets in the attic of your house, try not to touch it. And since you are unlikely to find a specialized service for the destruction of these insects, tune in to live peacefully with them until the first frost, watching their life.

Simple rules of human behavior with dangerous neighbors: do not get too close to the nest, do not make sudden movements near it, do not make noise, do not destroy insects near the nest. BUT late autumn try to close up all possible cracks through which the hornets can climb under the roof of your house.

Highly interesting video- hornets against bees

) are up to 55 mm long.

Etymology

According to Fasmer's dictionary, Russian word hornet has a common Slavic root and possibly goes back to common Indo-European.

Description

Real hornets make up the genus Vespa and differ from other representatives of the wasp family in the width of the top of the head (part of the head behind the eyes), which is proportionally larger in hornets. In addition, hornets also differ in front with a rounded abdomen ( abdominal cavity at the back of the waist). At rest, the front wings fold along the back.

Like other members of the family, hornets build large paper nests, numbering up to 10 tiers of honeycombs in some species. Unlike other wasps, hornets build material from rotten birch stumps and twigs, so their nests are not gray, but brown. They nest in hollows, in attics, in the tropics they hang nests from tree branches. To feed the larvae, they catch flies, bees, and often attack smaller wasps. Adult insects feed on substances containing a large amount of sugar (fruit juice, aphid excretions, nectar, etc.).

Spreading

Hornets live mainly in the Northern Hemisphere. The most famous hornet is ordinary ( Vespa crabro), common in Europe (with the exception of territories lying north of the 63rd parallel). It is the only species found in North America, Ukraine, and European Russia (except for remote areas of the Far North). In the east, the range of this species extends to the Urals and Western Siberia (found in the vicinity of Khanty-Mansiysk, Surgut and Nefteyugansk). In a number of areas it is endangered and needs protection. The common European hornet was introduced into North America by accident in the middle of the 19th century, where it lives today at approximately the same latitudes as in Europe, but has never been found in the western part of North America. In Asia, the European hornet is found in Southern Siberia, Kazakhstan, as well as in northern and eastern parts China.

Throughout tropical Asia, as well as in France and Spain, Asian predatory wasps are found ( Vespa Velutina), building nests openly on tree branches and hunting bees.

Hornet stings

The sting of a hornet is painful to humans, but the toxicity of the poison varies considerably depending on the type of hornet: some sting no more than many other insects, while certain types generally ranked among the most poisonous insects known today. Allergic reactions to stings in some cases can be fatal if the victim of anaphylactic shock is not immediately provided with medical assistance.

The consequences of stinging a hornet depend on the reaction of the body of the stung. The venom of common hornets and most other species is less toxic than bee venom; the sting during the injection does not remain in the wound (although the hornet can inflict several injections in a row). If the hornet has injected a large amount of poison, then quite a serious inflammation occurs. With high individual sensitivity (allergy), the consequences may be more severe, and with a large number of injections (for example, if a hornet's nest was disturbed), death is possible. In Japan, up to forty people die every year from the bites of giant hornets. The poison of Asian species is more toxic than that of European species, and besides, they are noticeably larger. On the Special Schmidt Sting Pain Scale, hornet sting pain is roughly comparable to honey bee sting pain and is in the middle of the scale (moderately severe pain). Thus, the fear of a hornet is largely exaggerated: its “bite” is not commensurate with the size of this insect.

Hornet nutrition

Adult hornets and their relatives (including real wasps) feed on nectar and sugar-rich plant foods. Therefore, they can often be seen on the flowing juice of oak trees, on rotting sweet fruits, honey, and in general on any sugar-containing products. Quite often, hornets fly to orchards to feast on overripe fruits. A person who accidentally grabs a fruit, for example a pear, where a hornet is at that moment (they tend to gnaw a hole in the shell of the fruit and gradually sink into its juicy pulp), can easily be stung by a disturbed insect.

However, adults also prey on many insects, which they kill with their stingers and powerful jaws. Due to their size and the strength of the poison, hornets are effortlessly able to kill fairly large insects, including bees, grasshoppers, other wasps and locusts. The victim is completely chewed, but the adult hornet does not need it, it is fed in the form of a suspension to the larvae that develop in the nest. Considering the fact that hornets use various pests to feed their larvae, they can be considered beneficial insects, although they are dangerous for people and domestic animals, and also destroy domesticated insects - honey bees.

Alarms

Like many social insects, hornets are able to mobilize a whole nest and sting the enemy in order to protect themselves. This can be dangerous for both animals and humans. Having detected a threat, the hornet releases an alarm pheromone - a special substance that activates other hornets to attack. It is undesirable to kill a hornet close to the nest, since distress signals can raise the whole family to attack their offender. The impetus for the attack can also serve as a variety of materials, which in their own way chemical properties easily come into contact with pheromone, including clothing, skin, dead hornets and their prey, some food seasonings, such as banana and apple flavors containing C 5 alcohols and C 10 esters.

Hornets and other wasps

In scientific Latin, the genus of hornets is called the word Vespa, which means "wasp", and Vespula(the scientific name of the most common kind of wasp), taking into account the diminutive suffix, should have been translated as “osishka”. Despite a fairly clear systematic classification, in real life sometimes there is some confusion about the difference between hornets and other representatives of social wasps, in particular, real wasps, which are members of the same family. In general, however, true wasps are smaller than hornets and are bright yellow and black, while yellow hornets are usually darker.

Some large wasps are sometimes called hornets, especially the spotted wasp ( Dolichovespula maculata) living in North America. AT English language it is customary to call it a bald-faced hornet, like real hornets, despite the black color and coloring Ivory. Probably the name hornet used for this and some other related wasp species primarily because of their habit of building above ground rather than underground nests (similar to true hornets). Another example is the Australian hornet ( Abispa ephippium), which is actually a type of solitary wasp.

Kinds

• Vespa affinisLinnaeus, 1764
• Vespa analisFabricius, 1775
• Vespa basalisSmith, 1852
• Vespa bellicosade Saussure, 1854
• Vespa bicolorFabricius, 1787
• Vespa binghamidu Buysson, 1905
• Vespa crabroLinnaeus, 1758- common hornet
• Vespa ducalisSmith, 1852
• Vespa dybowskiiAndrew, 1884
• Vespa fervidaSmith, 1858
• Vespa fumidaVan der Vecht, 1956
• Vespa luctuosade Saussure, 1854
• Vespa mandariniaSmith, 1852
• Vespa mocsaryanadu Buysson, 1905
• Vespa multimaculataPerez, 1910
• Vespa OrientalisLinnaeus, 1771- Oriental Hornet
• Vespa philippinensisDe Saussure, 1854
• Vespa SimillimaSmith, 1868
• Vespa sorordu Buysson, 1905
• Vespa tropicaLinnaeus, 1758
• Vespa VelutinaLepeletier, 1836
• Vespa vivaxSmith, 1870

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Notes

Literature

• // Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron: in 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - St. Petersburg. , 1890-1907.

Links

An excerpt characterizing the Hornets

"No one is right, no one is to blame, so she is not to blame either," he thought. - If Pierre did not immediately express his consent to union with his wife, it was only because in the state of anguish in which he was, he was not able to do anything. If his wife came to him, he would not drive her away now. Was it not all the same, in comparison with what occupied Pierre, to live or not to live with his wife?
Without answering anything to his wife or mother-in-law, Pierre once got ready for the road late in the evening and left for Moscow to see Iosif Alekseevich. Here is what Pierre wrote in his diary.
Moscow, November 17th.
I have just arrived from a benefactor, and I hasten to write down everything that I experienced at the same time. Iosif Alekseevich lives in poverty and suffers for the third year from a painful bladder disease. No one ever heard from him a groan, or a word of grumbling. From morning until late at night, with the exception of the hours in which he eats the simplest food, he works on science. He received me graciously and sat me down on the bed on which he was lying; I made him the sign of the knights of the East and Jerusalem, he answered me the same, and with a meek smile asked me about what I had learned and acquired in the Prussian and Scottish lodges. I told him everything as well as I could, conveying the grounds that I offered in our St. Petersburg box and reported on the bad reception that had been given to me, and about the break that had occurred between me and the brothers. Iosif Alekseevich, after a considerable pause and thought, set out to me his view of all this, which instantly illuminated for me all the past and all future path presented to me. He surprised me by asking me if I remember what the threefold purpose of the order is: 1) to keep and know the sacrament; 2) in the purification and correction of oneself for the perception of it, and 3) in the correction of the human race through the desire for such purification. What is the main and first goal of these three? Certainly own correction and purification. Only towards this goal can we always strive, regardless of all circumstances. But at the same time, this is the goal that requires the most labor from us, and therefore, deluded by pride, we, missing this goal, either take on the sacrament that we are unworthy to receive because of our impurity, or take on the correction of the human race, when we ourselves are an example of abomination and depravity. Illuminism is not a pure doctrine precisely because it has become carried away social activities and full of pride. On this basis, Iosif Alekseevich condemned my speech and all my activities. I agreed with him in the depths of my soul. On the occasion of our conversation about my family affairs, he said to me: - The main duty of a true Mason, as I told you, is to perfect himself. But often we think that by removing all the difficulties of our life from ourselves, we will more quickly achieve this goal; on the contrary, my lord, he told me, only in the midst of secular unrest can we achieve three main goals: 1) self-knowledge, for a person can know himself only through comparison, 2) improvement, only by struggle is it achieved, and 3) achieve the main virtue - love for death. Only the vicissitudes of life can show us the futility of it and can contribute to our innate love for death or rebirth into a new life. These words are all the more remarkable because Iosif Alekseevich, despite his severe physical suffering, is never burdened by life, but loves death, to which he, despite all the purity and loftiness of his inner man doesn't feel ready enough yet. Then the benefactor fully explained to me the meaning of the great square of the universe and pointed out that the triple and the seventh number are the foundation of everything. He advised me not to distance myself from communication with the St. Petersburg brothers and, occupying only positions of the 2nd degree in the lodge, to try, distracting the brothers from the hobbies of pride, to turn them to the true path of self-knowledge and improvement. In addition, for himself personally, he advised me first of all to take care of myself, and for this purpose he gave me a notebook, the same one in which I write and will continue to enter all my actions.
Petersburg, November 23rd.
“I live with my wife again. My mother-in-law came to me in tears and said that Helen was here and that she begged me to listen to her, that she was innocent, that she was unhappy at my abandonment, and much more. I knew that if I only allowed myself to see her, I would no longer be able to refuse her desire. In my doubt, I did not know whose help and advice to resort to. If the benefactor were here, he would tell me. I retired to my room, reread the letters of Joseph Alekseevich, remembered my conversations with him, and from everything I deduced that I should not refuse the one who asks and should give a helping hand to anyone, especially a person so connected with me, and should bear my cross. But if I forgave her for the sake of virtue, then let my union with her have one spiritual purpose. So I decided and so I wrote to Joseph Alekseevich. I told my wife that I ask her to forget everything old, I ask her to forgive me what I could be guilty of before her, and that I have nothing to forgive her. I was glad to tell her this. Let her not know how hard it was for me to see her again. Settled in a large house in the upper chambers and experiencing a happy feeling of renewal.

As always, even then, high society, uniting together at court and at big balls, was divided into several circles, each with its own shade. Among them, the most extensive was the French circle, the Napoleonic Union - Count Rumyantsev and Caulaincourt "a. In this circle, Helen occupied one of the most prominent places as soon as she and her husband settled in St. Petersburg. She visited the gentlemen of the French embassy and a large number of people, known for their intelligence and courtesy, who belonged to this direction.
Helen was in Erfurt during the famous meeting of the emperors, and from there she brought these connections with all the Napoleonic sights of Europe. In Erfurt, she had a brilliant success. Napoleon himself, noticing her in the theater, said about her: "C" est un superbe animal. "[This is a beautiful animal.] Her success as a beautiful and elegant woman did not surprise Pierre, because over the years she became even more beautiful than before But what surprised him was that in these two years his wife managed to acquire a reputation for herself
"d" une femme charmante, aussi spirituelle, que belle. "[A charming woman, as smart as beautiful.] The famous Prince de Ligne [Prince de Ligne] wrote letters to her on eight pages. Bilibin saved his mots [words], to say them for the first time in the presence of Countess Bezukhova.To be received in the salon of Countess Bezukhova was considered a diploma of the mind; young people read books before Helen's evening, so that there was something to talk about in her salon, and the secretaries of the embassy, ​​and even envoys, confided diplomatic secrets to her, so that Helene was a force in some way. Pierre, who knew that she was very stupid, with a strange feeling of bewilderment and fear, sometimes attended her evenings and dinners, where politics, poetry and philosophy were discussed. At these evenings he experienced a similar feeling which the conjurer must experience, expecting every time that his deceit is about to be revealed.But whether because stupidity was needed to run such a salon, or because the deceived themselves not in this deception, the deceit was not opened, and the reputation of d "une femme charmante et spirituelle was so unshakably established for Elena Vasilyevna Bezukhova that she could speak the biggest vulgarities and stupidities, and yet everyone admired her every word and looked for deep meaning in it which she herself did not suspect.
Pierre was exactly the husband that was needed for this brilliant, secular woman. He was that absent-minded eccentric, the husband of a grand seigneur [great gentleman], who does not interfere with anyone and not only does not spoil the general impression of the high tone of the living room, but, by his opposite to the grace and tact of his wife, serves as an advantageous background for her. During these two years, Pierre, as a result of his constant concentrated occupation with immaterial interests and sincere contempt for everything else, acquired in his wife’s company that did not interest him that tone of indifference, carelessness and favor to everyone, which is not acquired artificially and which therefore inspires involuntary respect . He entered his wife's drawing room as if into a theatre, knew everyone, was equally happy with everyone, and was equally indifferent to everyone. Sometimes he entered into a conversation that interested him, and then, without thinking about whether or not there were les messieurs de l "ambassade [employees at the embassy], mumbled his opinions, which were sometimes completely out of tune with the present moment. But the opinion about the eccentric husband de la femme la plus distinguee de Petersbourg [the most remarkable woman in Petersburg] was already so established that no one took au serux [seriously] his antics.
Among the many young people who daily visited Helen's house, Boris Drubetskoy, who had already been very successful in the service, was, after Helen's return from Erfurt, the closest person in the Bezukhovs' house. Helen called him mon page [my page] and treated him like a child. Her smile towards him was the same as towards everyone, but sometimes it was unpleasant for Pierre to see this smile. Boris treated Pierre with special, dignified and sad respect. This shade of deference also bothered Pierre. Pierre suffered so painfully three years ago from the insult inflicted on him by his wife that now he saved himself from the possibility of such an insult, firstly by the fact that he was not the husband of his wife, and secondly by the fact that he did not allow himself to suspect.
“No, now having become a bas bleu [blue stocking], she forever abandoned her former hobbies,” he said to himself. “There was no example of bas bleu having passions of the heart,” he repeated to himself, from no one knew where, a rule he had undeniably believed. But, strange to say, the presence of Boris in his wife's living room (and he was almost constantly) had a physical effect on Pierre: it bound all his members, destroyed his unconsciousness and freedom of movement.
“Such a strange antipathy,” thought Pierre, “and before that I even liked him very much.

The life cycle of the hornet family begins in early May, when the uterus emerges from hibernation. First, she makes reconnaissance flights, looking for a suitable nest site. When the place is determined, the uterus begins the formation of the first hexagonal cells of the honeycombs, gradually attaching others to them.

Soon, each cell will be occupied by one egg, from which a larva will develop in 5–8 days. The larva is kept in the cell thanks to a sticky secret. The larvae are fed with killed and chewed insects. After 13–15 days, a hornet develops from the pupa, the transformation process of which is called metamorphosis.

Around the beginning of July, the first working females and drones take over the work of the queen to complete the nest, while she is only busy laying new eggs. At the beginning of autumn, the hornets reach highest point of its development. All working hornets, drones and the uterus die with the onset of the first frosts, and fertilized females hide for wintering in order to start building new nests in the spring, repeating the life cycle.

Adult hornets feed mainly on insects. Settling near apiaries, hornets can cause them serious harm, destroying honey bees, killing them with a sting and with the help of a strong jaw apparatus. The large size of the hornets and the strength of their poison allow them to attack also grasshoppers, wasps and locusts.
Hornets also eat sugar-containing substances: sap from tree wounds, flower nectar, fruit and berry crops, from which they, gnawing the shell of the fruit, eat away the pulp. Thus, hornets can be considered both useful - due to the fact that they eat pests - and harmful insects.

Features of the behavior of hornets

Hornets belong to the class of social insects. Forming colonies, they are able, having mobilized a whole nest, to defend their swarm and queen from an actual or only supposed attack.

If the hornet feels threatened, its secretory glands begin to secrete an alarm pheromone - a special substance that can activate other hornets to attack.

In order to avoid a swarm attack, it is important to avoid sudden movements near the hornet nest, shaking the nest itself. It is also highly undesirable to allow the death of a hornet near its nest, since distress signals transmitted by dying insects can prompt the entire colony to attack.

With a careful and unsharp approach, calm behavior, the life of the hornets can be observed without the risk of being stung, since outside the zone of immediate proximity to the hornet's nest, as a rule, they do not behave aggressively.

Hornet bites. First aid

A hornet sting injection is very painful and can cause severe allergic conditions in a person, up to anaphylactic shock. The consequences of a bite largely depend on the individual intolerance to the poison and on the type of insect itself. It is worth noting that the poison of most species of hornets, including the common hornet, is even less toxic than bee venom. differs from the bee also in that the sting does not remain in the wound when injected.

A bee, having bitten an animal, loses its sting and dies. This increases the effectiveness of the poison, since the contents of the dead insect's poisonous bubble completely enter the wound. Hornets, on the other hand, use their sting to kill their prey and exude only a minimal amount of venom when stung. Wasps and hornets are distinguished by the ability to strike with a sting several times, since their sting, unlike a bee's, is smooth and straight.

In places of bites, local reactions can manifest as redness of the body, swelling, pain. Body temperature may rise, nausea may appear, headache and lethargy, impaired coordination. First aid for a hornet bite should include the immediate removal of the sting, squeezing fluid from the wound and applying a cold lotion to the bite area.

Even people who are not allergic to bee and wasp stings should immediately take an antihistamine tablet. Individual intolerance to poison may not appear immediately, but over time. Therefore, you should carefully monitor whether shortness of breath, nausea, a change in pressure, an increase in body temperature and skin rashes are observed.

The natural habitat of the hornets is the forest. Active felling of old trees and green spaces in general leads to the fact that the hornets are forced to adapt to the prevailing conditions and look for new places to build nests. That is why hornet dwellings are increasingly found in gardens, in close proximity to residential and outbuildings of people, thus representing a significant threat. You can fight the hornets on your own at the beginning of them. life cycle(as long as the nest is small and the population is negligible), but this is not recommended.

If a large colony is found, in order to effectively get rid of this kind of "neighbors", it is necessary to contact specialists.

Hornets attack - video

The family of wasps gives a lot of trouble to humans. It also includes hymenoptera insects, the largest wasps on the planet - hornets (Vespa). To date, science knows 23 species of representatives of this family. They occupied all of Europe. In Russia, "winged robbers" feel good even in Siberia. Especially a lot of them in the Primorsky Territory. The largest populations of hornets are in the tropics of Asia, and there are many of them in the Moscow region.

Hornets are different: friendly and dangerous

The average weight of hornets is 2 g, and males are twice as small as females. Small transparent, like mica, wings cover the body. Vespa hymenoptera live for only a few months (males), and about 12 months for females. Before their death, the males fertilize the queens, they themselves die. Fertilized females, capable of producing offspring, fall into suspended animation, staying in it for the winter and waiting for the heat of May, when the air warms up to 10 degrees.

The "head of the family" is the uterus. This is a female capable of reproducing offspring. She is a vivid example of how hornets hibernate. If the males die with the onset of cold weather, then the female wasps find a quiet, warm place to survive. spring months they spend in the troubles of arranging the nest, build honeycombs, take care of the larvae until mid-summer. When they grow up, they themselves become protectors and getters of food for the newly appeared larvae and uterus. A colony of hornets, in which individuals live together for only a few months, consists of a “creator” - a uterus, working “horses” (hornets), young queens and males that do not have stingers.

Wasps small and wasps large

Hornets are predators. Often they are confused with ordinary wasps, not imagining what a hornet looks like. In fact, the size of the "striped robbers" is 2 times larger than wasps, although otherwise the similarity is great:

• the same expressive large eyes;
• powerful jaws and a sting - two types of defense and food extraction: they use a sting to hit the victim or tear it apart with powerful jaws.
• a striped body, as if constricted at the waist (only the wasp has a black and yellow color scheme, and the hornet has it also diluted with brown, orange).

On a note. Hornets, on the one hand, are undoubtedly useful. They are nurses of horticultural crops, protecting them from harmful insects. On the other hand, the hornet spoils the fruits, eats bees in evidence (one individual eats about 30 bees per day). If you show aggression towards the "pirates" or try to destroy the nest, the hornets that previously coexisted peacefully with you turn into real robbers, mercilessly stinging the enemy.

The most common types of hornets

We can mainly find common hornet(Vespa crabro). Habitat halo: Urals, European Russia, east China. The uterus of the insect is large, reaches 25-35 mm. The working wasp is smaller - 18-22 mm in size.

• A rare species of large wasps is the black hornet or Dybowski's hornet (Vespa dybowskii). The color of the abdomen is black, wings with a brownish tint. Similar in size to an ordinary "relative". We meet in Transbaikalia, in Primorye and on the Amur. Also "occupied" the territory of India, Japan, Korea and China. Known for the fact that the uterus "raises other people's children", killing the same individual of a colony of a different species and taking its place.
• Madagascar, North Africa, southern Russia, Asia - places where Vespa orientalis (eastern hornet) is found. This type of large wasp, the females of which reach 30 mm, is distinguished by a beautiful coloring in red-brown tones. Feels great in dry steppe and desert climates.
• Vespa mandarinia or Asian hornet (giant). It is considered the largest (body length up to 50 mm) and the most dangerous. Feature its coloring: wide black "paths" on the abdomen, contrasting with the yellow head. "Asian" lives in China, India, Japan. He flew to our Primorye. It releases a highly toxic poison that is dangerous to humans because it can be fatal.

Hornet lifestyle

It is very interesting to watch how hornets live. Colonies live in hollows of trees, occupy empty bee hives, attics of houses. The house consists of horizontally molded honeycombs in the amount of 5-7 pieces. At the same time, up to half a thousand eggs are laid in each of them. High organization The life of large wasps allows them to protect their offspring and survive when attacked by an enemy. Special "guards" notify the rest of the relatives about the approach of danger, and the whole family rushes to the attack. The weapon of defense carries toxic injury, and in severe cases may cause death.

Attention! A hornet bite in humans is characterized by painful sensations, causes allergic reactions, although the sting itself does not remain in the wound. This is partly due to the dose of poison introduced into the body. In some species of insects, it is about 2 mg. Compared to a bee sting, this is more than 2 times more. The severity of the bite is also affected by which subspecies of hornets made it. The most dangerous and toxic substance is the Asian hornet.

Spiders, mosquitoes, caterpillars, dragonflies, bees, flies, butterflies that live next to large wasps in nature are potential “applicants” to be eaten at one fine moment. Hornets lead a round-the-clock lifestyle. This explains that they also catch nocturnal insects for food, as a result of which the daily "catch" of a whole family of "pirates" can reach up to half a kilogram of live food. For horticulture, caught pests in such a quantity are a significant help from huge wasps, which cannot be said about apiaries. Hornets catch bees, climb into the hive and feast on honey. The harm to beekeeping is enormous. A hornet unnoticed in time alone can ruin a bee family.

Interesting. It would be wrong to say that live food is consumed by adults. It is the larvae that need food from finely chewed insects for growth and development, while the adult hornet is content with the pollen of flowers, their nectar, as well as the ripe pulp and juice of fruits and vegetables. Feeding larvae themselves secrete a sweetish sticky substance, which feeds on worker wasps in adverse weather.

Hornets and man: a state of parity

Insects try to avoid humans. Never try to sit on food that is on the table. Wasps and bees immediately climb into the dishes, into his dwelling. This is another way to tell a bee from a hornet. In nature, the habitat of the hornets are forests. There, on young trees, especially ash trees, they peel off the skin to build nests. This causes the seedlings to dry out. But here the torn off pieces of young bark, hornet wood are moistened with saliva, processing into a pasty consistency. A nest is built from it (honeycombs and a shell), which by the end of summer reaches an impressive size and resembles corrugated paper. Appearance nests may vary in color due to the type of wood used.

Over time, under the influence of precipitation, the house collapses, because. does not resist moisture well. Therefore, tireless workers every year, without getting tired, mold new dwellings under the roofs of sheds and houses, forming them from top to bottom. In such houses, the main life of the uterus and larvae takes place. The products of their vital activity in the form of drops are released from the honeycombs.

No matter how "handsome" the hornets are, it is better to admire them from a distance. Therefore, noticing in the spring that the uterus begins to fuss and form a nest, you must immediately stop this by destroying the insect. If this moment is missed, learn to coexist peacefully with these interesting and nice "workaholics".