WHITE FACED HORNET VENOM PROTEIN

Vespa magnificaSmith, 1852Vespa japonicaRadoszkowski, 1857Vespa bellonaSmith, 1871Vespa magnificavar.latilineataCameron, 1903Vespa mandarinaDalla Torre, 1894(misspelling)Vespa mandarinia nobilisSonan, 1929Vespa magnifica sonaniMatsumura, 1930 TheAsian giant hornet(Vespa mandarinia), also known as thenorthern giant hornet,and theJapanese giant hornet,is the world's largesthornet.‍​‍‍‍​‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍​‍ It is native to temperate and tropicalEast Asia,South Asia,mainland Southeast Asia, and parts of theRussian Far East. It was also briefly found in thePacific Northwestof North America from late 2019 but was eradicated by December 2024. Asian giant hornets prefer to live in lowmountainsandforests, while almost completely avoidingplainsand high-altitude climates.V.mandariniacreates nests by digging, co-opting pre-existing tunnels dug by rodents, or occupying spaces near rotten pine roots.It feeds primarily on larger insects, colonies of othereusocialinsects, tree sap, and honey from honeybee colonies.The hornet has a body length of45 mm (1+3⁄4in), awingspanaround 75 mm (3 in), and astinger6 mm (1⁄4in) long, which injects a large amount of potent venom.