Giant Hornets Massacre European Bees | Buddha Bees and The Giant Hornet Queen | BBC Earth

The bees rush out in defense, but this is their undoing. One by one they're picked off. More hornets join the attack. The hornets emit a chemical rallying cry and this triggers a unique phenomenon. They no longer carry bee carcasses back to the nest. Instead they slaughter then cast aside the body of every defender they meet. It's the start of a mass attack. Each warrior can kill up to 40 bees a minute. The European bees outnumber the hornets a thousand to But they didn't evolve alongside these huge Asian predators and have no effective defense. Within the hour 10,000 bees are dying. Their stings are not strong enough. But as the corpses pile up the hornets begin to tire. Giant hornets are so big they are in danger of overheating. But the scent of the prize inside drives them to fight until they drop. 30,000 honeybees have died in three hours, falling victim to just 30 giant hornets. By midday the defenses are breached. Now the real plunder begins. The hornets pay little attention to the few surviving bees. The motivation for the attack lies within the combs. Outside the exhausted hornets exchange liquids to boost their energy. Inside the defenseless young are butchered. The succulent and nutritious flesh will be a boost to the hornet's own larvae and their queen's fortunes.