By Robert Schrader
Weird and Amazing Travel Expert, about.com
I'm a lifelong sufferer of apiphobia and a
firm believer that Asia is the best place in the world to travel,
so when I learned of the existence of the Asian Giant Hornet and that it
inhabits some of my favorite places in Asia, I was disappointed. And
that was simply after looking upon the beasts!
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Further
investigation into the nature of these Asian killer bees, not to mention
their behavior and potentially lethal capability, has made me
positively petrified.
What is the Asian Giant Hornet?
Although
people unlucky enough to live where it resides have long feared it, the
Asian Giant Hornet made international headlines in 2013, when a swarm of them killed 42 people in rural southwestern China.
Those lucky enough to survive the stings were left not only with wounds
resembling bullet holes, but with kidney damage, which in some of the
cases will last a lifetime.
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Part of the reason Asian Giant Hornets
are so deadly, even if you don't encounter a swarm of them, is that
they don't die when they sting you.
In fact, they don't even lose their stingers, are
most other bee and wasps species do, so they can sting you multiple
times if they're especially agitated. And they usually are!
Where Does the Asian Giant Hornet Live?
Known scientifically as Vespa mandarina
(that sounds lovely, doesn't it?), the Asian Giant Hornet can be found
all over Asia, from Taiwan, to mainland China, to Southeast Asia
and west into India, Nepal and Sri Lanka. It's most common, however, in
the mountains of Japan, where I happen to be sitting as I write this.
Gulp – thank God there's still snow on the ground outside!
Speaking of climate, many scientists believe that the spread of Asian Giant Hornets over the years has been due to climate change,
from regional droughts to rising temperatures across the board. Milder
winters results in fewer of the creatures dying each year, and scarcity
of water and other resources make them even more hostile than they would
usually be.
How Can Travelers Protect Themselves from the Asian Giant Hornet?
To
be sure, although most wilderness creatures run (or fly, as it were) in
fear upon hearing the stomping of a human or similarly large mammal,
Asian Giant Hornets hear our steps as a call to arms, which says nothing
of their attraction to our sweat, the sweet substances we consume and
even some of the colors we wear.
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The good news is that authorities
in certain countries are attempting to destroy Asian Giant Hornet
nests, which resemble large basketballs dangling from trees, cliff faces
and other high places. The bad news is that doing so is dangerous and,
thus far, only minimally effective.
Translation: If you're
traveling in Asia and you hear loud buzzing all around you, run for
cover – and, more importantly, don't say you weren't warned!
