The World's Biggest Wasp | Bite, Sting, Kill

In the lowland forests of Asia, there's an insect with a frightening reputation, the biggest wasp on the planet, the giant hornet. About as big as a matchbox and one of the most venomous insects in the world, this massive hornet can kill with its sting. A quarter inch long stinger injects a complex enzyme mixture that destroys tissue. This is similar to other wasps, but unique to the giant hornet is a neurotoxin that shuts down the nervous system. In a human, an allergic reaction can cause anaphylactic shock and kill. A giant hornet colony lives for only six months of the year, but during that time, they kill an average of 40 people. They live throughout much of Asia, from India to Japan. Like most wasps, giant hornets are intensely predatory, gorging themselves on other insects, like this preying mantis. A worker hornet chops up her prey with powerful mandibles, but she doesn't kill to satiate her own appetite. She chews up her catch into a gooey substance and then brings the meal back to the hive to feed hundreds of voracious young. During the summer, the giant hornets constantly seek out food. This scout discovers a large honeybee hive and marks it with a pheromone secreted from glands in its back legs. It's a signal to attack. The pheromone attracts other giant hornets to the hive, where they begin their assault. But their success doesn't depend on their numbers. Just one of these hornets can kill over 300 honeybees in an hour. The honeybees instinctively defend their hive, but they are no match against a giant five times their size. Within hours, the small troop of giant wasps slaughters almost 30,000 bees, decimating the entire colony. The wasps return to their hive with their spoils, valuable protein for the next generation of these killer insects.