We (Paul particularly – it’s a boy thing) are big fans of all things creepy crawly. An especial favourite is the Oriental Hornet (Vespa Orientalis), which is very common around here. They are fearsome predators, and their main weapon is a set of very powerful mandibles. While out walking some time ago, we saw 3 or 4 hornets attacking a beehive. The defending bees were despatched by the hornets and carried off, presumably to be eaten. The main goal of the hornets was the bee larvae inside the hive. As well as their predatory behaviour, the hornets are also incredible scavengers. This morning in the garden, there was a dead gecko. Two hornets (plus a couple of wasps and several ants) were determinedly attending to the corpse. It was fascinating to see the hornets ripping off chunks of gecko, then taking to the air in very wobbly fashion (like an overloaded helicopter), depositing the spoils and returning for more. From start to finish, it took little more than an hour to entirely butcher the gecko. Very efficient. A few seconds of video of the dastardly deed below. Watch through fingers if squeamish ……… youtu.be/N79ZzBPJAsk
Posted on: Tue, 09 Sep 2014 08:43:22 +0000
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