This Strange Sting Dissolves Your Skin

 the Asian Giant Hornet, or Vespa mandarinia

the Asian Giant Hornet, or Vespa mandarinia

You guys told me about an insect that’s sting can dissolve human tissue and I needed to see if this thing was real. Curiousness got the best of me! It turns out it is real, and just as terrifying as you said. We’re talking about a highly venomous insect, and the world’s largest hornet - the Asian Giant Hornet, or Vespa mandarinia. It can grow to 4.5 centimeters long with a 7.6 centimeter wingspan and a quarter-inch stinger, and..and fly at a speed of 40 kilometers per hour. So, good luck trying to outrun them. They like to live in high altitude forested locations like the mountains and build their nests underground or in hollowed out trees. They’re primarily found in Southeast Asia, including Korea, China, India, and most commonly, Japan. Every year in Japan, Asian Giant Hornets kill around 30 to 40 people. In 2013, China experienced a particularly terrible year, resulting in the death of 42 people, with an additional 1,675 injured. Asian Giant Hornets are unique among other wasps as they are the only social species that wages group attacks on beehives. They're carnivorous creatures and typically prey on honey bees for food. Once a scout locates a honey bee hive, it releases pheromones to attract its friends and together they wreak havoc on the hive, using their strong mandibles, or jaws, to severe the heads of the bees. We should've did this video around Halloween. This is frighting. Not that you would try, but you really don’t want to upset these guys. Asian Giant Hornets are considered to be very aggressive and are quick to sting. While the venom they release when they sting isn’t any worse from the venom of other hornets and wasps, they release more of it. And speaking of more venom, because of their swarming behavior and ability to sting repeatedly, victims of their attacks usually sustain multiple stings. Their venom contains chemicals like mandaratoxin, a neurotoxin that harms nerve tissues, in addition to other chemicals that cause allergic reactions. Their stings are painful, itchy, and cause swelling. And in some cases, they can be deadly. In fact, according to a case report from 2010, two victims were killed from multiple stings by the Asian Giant Hornet. One developed acute encephalopathy, which effects brain function, while the other developed acute myocarditis, which is the inflammation of the heart muscle. In addition to potentially causing a severe allergic reaction in certain individuals, large doses of their venom can result in cardiac arrest or organ failure. One study found that most fatal organ failure cases were associated with skin hemorrhage, which is bleeding, or necrosis, which is cell death. Those patients were stung an average of 59 times, which was significantly greater than the amount of stings endured by patients who survived, suggesting that number of stings may play a role in determining your outcome. Oh no. They're going for Triangle Bob. Oh boy. Okay, uh, hey Animator, can you hit reset again on Triangle Bob. Thanks! So what animal or insect are you most afraid of? Let me know in the comment section below or tell us