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Comment by willvarfar | Hacker News Reader

Now this makes me wonder what kind of wasp I’ve seen attacking bees in my garden in Sweden.

A very large wasp, I thought 2” in length, with the classic black and yellow stripes. I had assumed it was solitary. I’ve seen them hovering near the entrance of a wild hive and swooping on bees as they land and start to crawl in. The bee and wasp then tumble down to the ground, and there’s a struggle. Then the bee is released, and flies back to the hive. The wasp returns to hover by the entrance, awaiting its next victim.

These massive wasps will reappear this summer, as usual. I will have to try and identify them better. Anyone have any ideas?

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Could it have been a Mammoth Wasp?[1] I've seen one in the Netherlands 2 years ago. Very distinctive pattern on the abdomen.

1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mammoth_wasp

Would a mammoth wasp attack a bee? Scoliids are parasitoids, and this one is described as having a life habit typical of the family. Typically the adults feed only on nectar, unlike the more predatory vespids.

The markings feel familiar. Of course I am not being objective and need to actually get one in front of me to check when they are in season.

Yes! Now I definitely have to check the next one I see or find! It really could be this monster! Will try to get footage of them overpowering then releasing bees.

Only problem is how to share my findings in a month or two when they are active!?

Here in Austria, I've seen similar wasps, and as my house is surrounded by flowering fruit trees, I've had to deal with trapped-at-the-window individuals a number of times (bees and butterflies too, which is a wonderful brief visit until I free them to open air). I'm not entirely sure they are Asian Giant wasps, but they sure are big and nasty and angry .. I'm fairly sure they are European hornets, though:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_hornet

Have you seen these giant wasps in your garden attacking and then releasing the bee? I’ve been assuming mine are a kind of solitary parasitic wasp. I think I’ve actually seen them stabbing the bees with their tails before releasing them. But they definitely look like those hornets you linked to! Just the activity seems wrong.

From the Wikipedia article:

> However, they are also known to "hawk" in midair for honeybees near their hive, which they then take down and consume.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_hornet#Problems_assoc...

I haven't seen them attacking anything but my apricots. ;)

I read some time in the last few years that Asian giant hornets were migrating into Europe. It's an easier migratory route than across the Pacific. I wonder whether the spread of apiculture has produced a food bridge they can exploit.

Here's the first hit I turned up on Google: https://www.thesun.ie/tech/5302630/giant-asian-hornet-invade...

In swedish they're called "bålgeting". They look and sound scary because of their size but are actually non-aggressive and mostly helpful to humans as they prey on regular wasps and aren't interested in our food and drink like regular wasps are. Didn't know they took bees but I guess that makes sense.

Probably a european hornet? They are the biggest I know of here, and are yellow and black.

They are harmless to humans and protected.

Vespa crabro just are too busy with they own bussiness, and are relatively peaceful, but not harmless to humans. Terrific gentle giants.

The quickest way to see their "not harmless" side is to kill one. As with many colony wasp species, other individuals will smell volatiles released by the corpse, and respond by seeking out whatever killed their sister in order to strongly discourage any further such liberties.

So, best leave them well alone. (Unless you're me, and willing to risk a sting in order to get macro shots, although it's not all that much of a risk as long as I'm not near the nest. Never have found any hornets yet, though, sad to say, not even D. maculata.)

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