Asian giant hornets are the biggest on Earth and can kill humans. But their larvae are irresistible to oriental honey buzzards.
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TRANSCRIPT
- [Narrator] Asian giant hornets are the biggest on Earth.
(hornets buzzing) Able to kill humans.
(bird calling) (air whooshing) (air whooshing) (wings whooshing) But their nests are full of larvae.
(hornets buzzing) Irresistible to oriental honey buzzards.
(wings whooshing) (buzzard thumping) (hornets buzzing) The hornets swarm in defense.
(hornets buzzing) But now, with the nest open, more honey buzzards move in.
(bird calling) (wings whooshing) (buzzard thumping) (hornets buzzing) Each making off with all the larvae they can grab.
(leaves rustling) A raptor with a death wish, maybe.
(bird calling) (hornets buzzing) (bird calling) (wings whooshing) (birds chirping) (hornet buzzing) But there's more to the honey buzzard than meets the eye.
(birds calling) They're built to battle killer prey.
(birds calling) And not just hornets.
(wings whooshing) (bees buzzing) But bees too.
(bees buzzing continues) While they feast on honeycomb, uniquely shaped feathers work like body armor.
(bees buzzing continues) So the bees can't land a sting.
A special membrane protects their eyes.
(bees buzzing continues) And there's even evidence of chemical warfare.
A strange substance covers their feathers, (bees buzzing continues) which may act as a deterrent during their death-defying raids.
(bees buzzing continues)
