Introduced to France back in 2004 with a shipment of pottery aboard travelling on a Chinese vessel, the extremely-aggressive Asian hornet has since spread across Europe, terrorizing the continent. They are responsible for the deaths of at least 28 people, and have been killing honeybees—the Asian hornet’s favorite food—at an extremely alarming rate. However, scientists in France have discovered a plant that loves to chow down on Asian hornets, and hope to use this plant as a way to prevent a European “beepocalypse.”
Hornets from Hell Rise With The Temperature
Asian hornet populations across Europe have been steadily increasing for a number of years now, which has been a large ecological concern for those interested in protecting declining honeybee populations around the world, as well as a large health concern, as they are known to be an especially aggressive type of hornet.
The main cause for their sudden increase in population, according to the Shaanxi Provincial Forestry Department , is global warming. Rising global temperatures have made it significantly easier for the Asian hornet to thrive during typically colder months, leading to an almost worldwide colonization.
Out of the Frying Pan…
European honeybees aren’t prepared to deal with the Asian hornet’s aggressive nature, whereas Japanese honeybees have had time to adapt.
Unlike the weak European honeybee, which attacks Japanese hornets at first glance, the Japanese honeybee does not attack, but patiently lures the hornet inside their hive. Upon entering, the honeybees wait for the Asian hornet to attack—as soon as the hornet makes its move, hundreds of honeybees swarm it, and raise their body temperatures. The honeybees, having a heat-tolerance just two-degrees above the hornet, roast the invader alive by activating their flight muscles, raising their core body temperature to above 46 degrees Celsius. You can watch a video of this happening here .
European bees have not learned how to ambush Asian hornets in this way, and have been being slaughtered by the thousands across the continent. Just one Asian hornet can decapitate 40 bees per-minute, and groups of fewer than 30 have been known to wipe out entire colonies of honeybees within a couple of hours.
The Environmental Protection Agency predicts that the Asian hornet will soon spread to Italy and the UK, due to both climate change and their predatory relationship with the European honeybee.
Plants Fight Back
A team of French experts working in the Botanical Garden of Nantes have recently found a plant that traps and eats Asian hornets by the fistful. The carnivorous plant, called “Sarracenia,” attract Asian hornets by secreting pheromones and showing off its nectar, before trapping their victims in a sticky fluid that slowly digests them over time.
Curiously, the Sarracenia targets only the Asian hornet specifically, leaving the European varieties of bees and wasps alone. Perhaps even more curious is the fact that the plant originates from the US—a place where the Asian hornet is virtually non-existent. This means that the plant may have already adapted to Europe’s changing ecology, already far-ahead of the continent’s native fauna.
Scientists involved in the discovery have since announced plans to discover the exact pheromones produced by these flowers, in order to manufacture traps for Asian hornets that can be purchased worldwide.
