Asian hornet on the way to prey on honeybees – Nature, Environment – The Independent.

“The Asian hornet, Vespa velutina, is strongly established in France, where it is thought to have arrived from the Far East in a consignment of Chinese plant pots in late 2004, and beekeepers and entomologists are concerned that it may now spread across the Channel, especially as climate change brings warmer summers.

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Groups from five to 50 Asian hornets hover in front of a beehive, picking off single honeybees, decapitating them and stripping off their wings and legs before making off with the “meat ball” to their nest to feed their young.

As the attacks continue, the honeybee colony stops flying and has to consume its own stores, a development which eventually weakens it to such a point that a hornet invasion force can enter the hive and pillage it completely. Whole hives can be destroyed in this way relatively rapidly.”

Note

I’ve never seen this behavior, but  it seems to be very  terror-inspiring  wasp, but any time I have tried to photograph it, it immediately flies.  I’ve never seen or encountered it in pack, but only as solitary  hunter that scouts  about flowering  plants for small honeybees or attacking emerging dormant  solitary bees, but this behavior might  change as there is population increase.

When I have  attempted to  photograph the wasp after a catch,  it is easily startled and  disappears, often abandoning the catch.