Shocking footage shows a bee being cut in half by a wasp

Shocking footage shows a bee being cut in half by a wasp during a brutal fight to the death.

After grappling with its opponent for a few seconds, the wasp gnaws at the bee’s abdomen until it’s chopped clean off.

The victor then flies away with its prize still squirming in its jaws while the bee’s top half is left scrambling on the floor.

 

YELLOWJACKET WASP

The common name ‘yellowjackets’ covers a large group of predatory wasps found in North America.

The group is known to target a wide range of prey, including caterpillars, flies, spiders and bees. 

They use their huge, scissor-like jaws to grab hold of and and gnaw on prey, cutting it into transportable chunks to take back to the nest.

The largest yellowjacket wasps – hornets – are common predators of bees, Dr Carpenter said.

Some species specialise in attacking beehives, waiting outside of nest entrances until an unsuspecting meal flies out.

The insect battle was posted to Reddit on Monday by user Iamnotburgerking, with little additional information.

The clip has been watched thousands of times, and the unusual behaviour on display has drawn the attention of a US wasp expert.

Dr James Carpenter, from the American Museum of Natural History in New York, said the yellowjacket wasp’s behaviour is not uncommon.

The group, which is native to North America, is known to target a wide range of prey, including caterpillars, flies, spiders and bees.

Dr Carpenter said the wasp’s decision to take off with the bee’s rear end shows it was sharing its spoils.

He told Live Science: ‘Social wasps cut up prey to make it transportable.’

‘Indeed, sometimes they chew it up into a food ball, getting rid of the appendages.’

Shocking footage shows a bee being cut in half by a wasp during a brutal fight to the death. The insect battle was posted to Reddit on Monday by user Iamnotburgerking, with little additional information

After grappling with its opponent for a few seconds, the wasp gnaws at the bee's abdomen until it's chopped clean off

After grappling with its opponent for a few seconds, the wasp gnaws at the bee’s abdomen until it’s chopped clean off

Wasps do this to share food with larvae and other drones in the nest, and often target rival species they see as pests.

Dr Carpenter added that the wasp likely returned later to finish off the bee’s other half.

The behaviour can benefit ecology because some bee species are invasive and need their numbers kept down.

The common name ‘yellowjackets’ covers a large group of predatory wasps.

The victor then flies away with its prize still squirming in its jaws while the bee's top half is left scrambling on the floor

The victor then flies away with its prize still squirming in its jaws while the bee’s top half is left scrambling on the floor

Dr James Carpenter, from the American Museum of Natural History in New York said the yellowjacket wasp's behaviour is not uncommon

Dr James Carpenter, from the American Museum of Natural History in New York said the yellowjacket wasp’s behaviour is not uncommon

They use their huge, scissor-like jaws to grab hold of and and gnaw on prey, cutting it into transportable chunks to take back to the nest.

The largest yellowjacket wasps – hornets – are common predators of bees, Dr Carpenter said.

Some species specialise in attacking beehives, waiting outside of nest entrances until an unsuspecting meal flies out.

The yellowjacket is known to target a wide range of prey, including caterpillars, flies, spiders and bees. They often cut their meals into pieces to share with other wasps in the nest

The yellowjacket is known to target a wide range of prey, including caterpillars, flies, spiders and bees. They often cut their meals into pieces to share with other wasps in the nest

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