Hornets are social wasps, they live in colonies. The scientific name of the hornet is Vespa crabro. The hornet is the largest representative of the wasp family, has a bright color - brown with orange or yellow stripes. The conspicuous coloring of the hornet undoubtedly serves as a notification that it is dangerous to attack this insect. But the hornet itself deserves the title of "winged predator."
Hornets are found throughout Europe, North Africa, Asia, and North America. In addition to feeding on the sweet nectar of plants, hornets can attack other insects. Other wasps and bees often become their victims.
Due to its size and aggressiveness, the hornet often attacks even a robber fly, which itself is not averse to profiting from other insects.
To prepare the paper used to build the nest, hornets gnaw the bark from young branches of birch trees, so their paper, unlike most other types of paper, is not gray, but brown. The nest is made in the hollows of trees, caves, birdhouses, on cliffs. First, the female builds a honeycomb from several cells facing downwards, attaching them with a leg to the ceiling. Then, as the family grows, the second are suspended from the first, etc.
Large nests have 6 tiers, with the largest of them reaching 0.5 m in diameter.
Usually, the nest begins to build in the spring by the uterus - the female, which mates with the drones (males). Only the uterus can lay eggs.
Soon, larvae hatch from the eggs; before the larvae develop into adult hornets, they are fed by working hornets - sterile females. Having caught a prey, the hornet usually returns to the nest, where it feeds the larvae with chewed prey.
At the first frost, all the working hornets, males and the uterus, die, and the fertilized females hide in places protected from frost for wintering. In the spring, they build new nests, and the entire life cycle repeats.
Only working females and queens have a sting; with their bite, they paralyze or kill the victim.
Unlike the bee's, the hornet's sting is straight and smooth, like all wasps, so they can inflict repeated stings, while the sting of most bees (except for the queen bee) is disposable. Despite their huge size, hornets usually sting people less than smaller wasps.
Sometimes hornets arrange a nest for themselves under the roof of a residential building or other building, which, of course, causes a lot of anxiety to the tenants. Hornets make a terrible noise and often fly into the windows of the house on the way to the nest.
The hornet will sting you if it feels threatened. If a hornet is flying at you, it is better not to pay attention to it and do not try to drive it away.
What horrors are not told about them! You can often hear stories about how they attack animals and people and kill them with their bites. These stories do not correspond to reality. Of course, hornets sting, but the bite is only painful, and not at all fatal. The number of deaths from hornet bites is negligible. So these insects should be protected - after all, they destroy harmful insects.
Every day many different small creatures fly and crawl around us. Some of them are useful, while others, on the contrary, are harmful, forcing people to look for new ways to fight. There are some among them, next to which a person is not only uncomfortable, but also dangerous - these are hornets and wasps. These poisonous stinging insects belong to the same order of Hymenoptera. In total, there are more than 20 of their species in the world, and most of them live in tropical regions of Asia. In our country, only one of their representatives lives - an ordinary hornet. We will talk about him in this article.
This is a very bright representative of the fauna, which is a kind of warning to the rest of the animals that there is a poisonous creature nearby. Its body consists of a head and abdomen and is about 3.8 cm long for the uterus and 2-2.5 cm for workers.
In this case, the weight can reach 200 mg. Despite their large size, their wings are small and thin. And if the European hornet itself is painted in yellow-red tones with black spots and a darker chest, then its wings are completely transparent.
Besides the two main eyes, there are three eyes in the middle of the head. Provides an ideal viewing angle
Outwardly, it is very similar to a paper wasp. The only difference is that the top of his chest is not black, but brown. There are other details by which the wasp can be identified from its larger brother:
- Less pronounced constrictions on the abdomen
- More massive body
- The crown of the head is wide and well proportioned.
Diet preferences
Hornet is a predator insect. And although adults prefer nectar, pollen and plant food, they feed their larvae with smaller relatives.
They feed on nectar and plant foods containing a lot of sugar, as well as insects.
Their prey can be:
- Mosquitoes and flies
- Beetles and spiders
- Dragonflies and butterflies
- Caterpillars.
They make no exception for the closest relatives - wasps. Despite the presence of a sting and poison, they kill their prey, tearing them apart with their jaws. Then the chewed insect in the form of a gruel becomes food for the larvae.
In non-flying weather, the opposite process takes place. During this time, workers feed on the sweet liquid that the larvae produce and secrete.
And if a meeting with a winged corsair is dangerous for a person, then in the garden and in the garden who else besides them will be able to bring so much benefit. Indeed, in a day, only one family is able to destroy a pound of pests, since they hunt both daytime and nocturnal winged representatives of the fauna.
Several dozen hornets are capable of completely destroying a large bee colony in 4-5 hours
Nest organization and wintering
Hornet and wasp prefer to settle in secluded places. Their nests can be arranged:
- In the hollows of trees
- In birdhouses abandoned by birds
- Under the roofs of outbuildings.
The same representatives of this family who live in the steppe regions prefer to settle in old burrows of animals, underground. The life span of these insects is limited to the spring-autumn period. Only females suitable for breeding survive the winter. All other individuals of the family die.
The house consists of horizontally molded honeycombs in the amount of 5-7 pieces. Each of them contains up to 500 eggs.
The awakening of queens begins in late spring, when the average temperature reaches 10 ° C. When they wake up, they start building a nest, which has a rather interesting design. The hive consists of 5 or more horizontal honeycomb plates, each of which contains over 500 cells.
The nest is usually built from top to bottom, with a gradual increase in the number of honeycomb tiers.
As an excellent architect, the uterus builds a nest from chewed up rotten wood. Mixed with saliva, it turns into a substance that, when dried, becomes like corrugated paper. In this case, the color of the shell will correspond to the type of wood used, and its thickness reaches 8 cm and is a reliable protection against heat, drafts, and cold.
Hornet wasps do not use their nests for the second time. And the next spring, the queen chooses another place where she will begin to build a new hive, in which, over time, the first working individuals begin to help her.
Lifestyle and reproduction
They live in large families in nests similar to wasps. They have a rounded shape and can be placed both suspended from a tree and in a hollow. The place where the hive will be located is chosen by the uterus. She also begins the construction of the first honeycomb, in which she lays eggs. The workers that emerged from them will continue the work begun by her and finish building the nest.
The uterus itself then devotes all its time to increasing the number of the nest. From the eggs laid by her, the larvae hatch again, and feeding them lies entirely on the shoulders of the female. But at the same time, feeding it becomes the responsibility of young workers. This breeding pattern allows the family to grow very quickly.
They have a high organization of life and there are "guards" in each hive. At the first sign of danger, the whole family is informed and all working individuals stand up to protect the uterus and offspring. Adults stay in the nest overnight, while during the day they are engaged in construction or hunt. In addition, in each hive there are several individuals that are constantly in it and are engaged in caring for the larvae and cleaning their home. But there are few of them.
The larvae themselves secrete a sweetish sticky substance, which the working wasps feed on in unfavorable weather.
Reproduction is the same as that of other Hymenoptera. Mating usually occurs at the end of summer, when there are already several thousand individuals in the colony. At the same time, the number of sexually mature representatives of the family becomes so large that they have to leave the nest and, having mated, the females will go in search of a secluded corner where they will winter, and the males will die.
The larvae are fed insects chewed with saliva (flies, locusts, grasshoppers, bugs, bees).
Working individuals also do not live long, about a month, if they do not die sooner at the hands of humans or when meeting with predators. The uterus will be able to live for a year and will die before the second wintering, at the time when the young fly out to mate. Males live for several days.
Varieties of hornets
There are more than 20 species of these insects, the most common are the following:
- European or common
- Oriental
- Asiatic
- Black.
Let's get to know them better and consider what these hornets look like.
The most common of all that exists on earth. Outwardly, he is very similar to a wasp. The largest individuals are 3.5 cm long and they are females. Males are smaller, their size does not exceed 2.5 cm. The color of all individuals is the same: brown head, chest and nape, brownish below and striped below the abdomen. They live in large families numbering several thousand.
It has a slightly smaller size and reddish-brown color. He has the largest uterus, which can reach a length of 3 cm.Workers and males are somewhat smaller. This species is distinguished from others by a wide yellow stripe running along the abdomen and a yellow spot stretching from the eyes to the mouth.
The habitat of these relatives of the wasp is the territory of southern Russia, Madagascar and North Africa. Since they live in deserts and steppes, they build their nests in the ground.
Asian or giant hornet
The largest member of this family. Its wingspan reaches 7.3 cm, and the length of the body is 5-6 cm. For such a huge size, it received the name giant. The color of these insects is yellowish-buffy with red-brown jaws. There is a large black spot on the cephalothorax, and black and yellow stripes alternate on the abdomen.
It's not just size and color that are intimidating in this spotted wasp. Dangerous to humans and its poison, which can lead to death. In our country, this species is found only in the Primorsky Territory, while its main habitats are Japan, China and India.
Compare: on the right - a wasp, on the left - a giant hornet
Black or Dybowski's hornet
Wasps and hornets can pose a threat to humans by organizing their nests in their habitat. Wasp and hornet bites can pose a serious threat to human health. Depending on the type of wasp or hornet, their bites can cause serious poisoning of the body. For many people, the poison of wasps, or hornets, is the strongest allergen and can cause anaphylactic shock and even death. Being collective, social insects, wasps and hornets jealously guard their nest and, in the event of unwanted influence on it from a person or animals, they can inflict multiple bites on the object of their concern. Wasp control is an important activity. for some people, due to specific allergic reactions, the poison of wasps and hornets is a serious threat and even in small quantities can cause irreparable harm.
Measures for the destruction of wasps and hornets
Measures for the destruction of wasps and hornets, the fight against wasps are carried out with the application of an insecticidal preparation to the insect nest and the objects and surfaces closest to it. The processing of a room or area for the destruction of wasps and hornets, the fight against wasps is carried out by specially trained personnel using protective equipment and in the absence of other people. For some time after treatment, the activity of insects on the treated object or area gradually decreases and disappears. If there is a large concentration of wasps or hornets nests, additional processing may be required.
About wasps and hornets
In the warm season, in central Russia, the time for the active phase of the life of wasps and hornets begins. These collective insects are real hard workers. In the wild, the nests of wasps and hornets are located in the hollows of trees, depressions, burrows, and other secluded places protected from precipitation. In the territories developed by man, wasps and hornets are often mistaken for "secluded places" as residential and outbuildings, and other structures. And if in urban conditions, due to technogenic pollution of the territory and a low nutrient base, wasps and hornets are rare, in rural areas their proximity to humans is a frequent occurrence. And, almost always, this neighborhood is fraught with inconveniences and risks for both parties. Every year, wasps and hornets pose a danger of painful, often even fatal, bites for villagers and summer residents from the settlements surrounding the city. Many people have severe allergies to wasp and hornet venom. In some cases, their bites can lead to anaphylactic shock and even death. Therefore, the fight against wasps and hornets should be carried out immediately, if they are found on your site, or in your house. Despite the difference in size between wasps and hornets, their bites are almost equally dangerous. At the same time, at the household level, due to the difference in the size of insects, often hornets (genus Vespa) are perceived more dangerous than wasps. According to the bite force diagram (the so-called Schmidt scale), the wasp bite force has an index of 2.0, and the hornet bite force 2.X is the same as that of a honey bee. At the same time, bites of wasps and hornets are dangerous not only for allergy sufferers, whose share is less than one percent of the total population, but also for ordinary people. It would seem that one bite, a moment of pain, irritation at the site of the bite. And if not one wasp or hornet bites, but ten, or even twenty individuals (and such cases are not uncommon)? In addition, the bite of even one individual wasp, or a hornet, can pose a serious danger to the health of an ordinary person. Wasps and hornets can infect an intestinal infection when bitten.
Types of hornets and wasps found in central Russia:
Sphecidae - Sfecidae, or Burrowing Wasps- about one and a half centimeters in length, black and yellow bright color. These wasps will organize their nests in earthen burrows. This type of wasp is quite aggressive and poses a serious danger to humans, especially if you willingly or unwittingly disturb the nest of these wasps. One of the methods of dealing with wasps of this species is to fill burrows with their nests with water (preferably hot).
Vespidae - Public (paper) wasps- two - two and a half centimeters in length. They have a color from light yellow to dark brown. They are building the so-called. paper nests in technical buildings, in attics, under roof slopes, in other places protected from precipitation. Wasps of this species bite, mainly when a person approaches the nest, or when in contact with it. In the cold season, the nests of wasps are empty, so when the first frost occurs, they can be safely eliminated.
Vespa Mandarinia - Asian Huge Hornet- is more than five centimeters long. Black-yellow body color with red spots on the head and legs. The bites of this hornet pose a serious danger to humans. The hornet of this species organizes nests in attics and in other buildings, in tree hollows. The nest is built from chewed old wood and is brown in color. In the nests of this species of hornets, there can be more than five hundred individuals, which is noticeably more compared to other species of wasps and hornets. Hornets' nests are original with a characteristic lower hole through which hornets dump their waste products. Large accumulations of this waste are often found under the nests.
Vespa Сrabro - Common Hornet (rough wasp)- up to three and a half centimeters in length, black - yellow, almost black color of the calf. They behave in a moderately aggressive manner. Nests are found in tree hollows, residential and technical buildings, abandoned burrows. Hornets of this species are most common in central Russia.
Life cycle of wasps and hornets:
After wintering, the fertilized uterus leaves the winter shelter and looks for a place to organize a nest - a colony. Mixing the smallest pieces of wood with its secretions, the wasp's uterus builds a small nest (less than five centimeters in size). After successful construction, the uterus lays eggs, from which female, sterile workers mature. These individuals are intended to perform working functions during the further construction of the nest and to perform protective and nutritional functions during the development of the swarm. After their appearance, the uterus is only engaged in reproduction of offspring, incl. males. After a successful summer season, at the end of the warm period of the year, several young fertilized queens appear in the expanded nest, and the old uterus dies. These queens leave the nest and find reliable winter shelters for themselves, so that, with the onset of the warm season of the next year, they can organize their new colonies. The workers remaining in the old nest die with the onset of cold weather. For the next season, the emptied old nest is not repopulated.
To prevent the possible appearance of wasps or hornets on the site, carrion of fruit trees should be removed in time, if possible, get rid of food and organic waste in time. When you find nests of wasps, or hornets, you should take extra care. Working insects, at the slightest threat, immediately attack, inflicting painful bites and inform others of the danger that has arisen (release ferromone alarm).
How to protect yourself from wasps and hornets bites
If you have close contact with wasps and hornets in an area or building, you can reduce the risk of wasp or hornet bites by doing the following: Avoid using perfumes, aftershaves, and scented hairsprays. Try not to wear brightly colored clothes (yellow, orange colors are especially noticeable by insects). It is best to wear light, preferably white clothes, or clothes of a solid, not bright color. Only use your shoes on lawns, lawns and other green spaces. When you are in a bush, among fruit trees (especially during flowering and fruiting), be vigilant. If wasps or hornets are found in the immediate vicinity of you, do not try to quickly drive them away with your hands - this will only anger the insects and can provoke their bite. Try to slowly and without unnecessary sudden movements leave the place of accumulation of wasps and hornets. If an insect has sat down on your clothes, or even on unprotected skin, never try to swat it - this will almost certainly cause a bite. It is also not necessary to drive it away - it will fly away by itself.
Wasps and hornets extermination
We work every day, without days off and holidays. We serve Moscow, the Moscow region, neighboring regions. We process objects of any complexity. When fighting wasps and hornets, we use modern highly effective and well-proven preparations, we use the most modern equipment. The cost of dealing with wasps and hornets: consists of the amount of work, the complexity of the object, its distance from Moscow. The approximate cost of fighting wasps, or hornets, on a garden plot with an area of 6 acres, with two or three buildings, at a distance of 10-20 km from Moscow, will be approximately 4 to 6 thousand rubles.
Aug 2012
26
Oriental hornet(Vespa orientalis) is a relative of the common hornet (Vespa crabro). It lives in the Near and Middle East, northern Africa, the Mediterranean and southern Europe.
Oriental hornet- a representative of a dry desert climate, since it can withstand heat up to 60 ° C. It nests in the ground or in the voids of the walls of buildings. When building a nest, it uses small pebbles and sand, from which it sculpts a nest with the help of saliva. It is 8-13% smaller than the Vespa crabro hornet; the length of the working hornet is 18-23 mm, and the uterus is 30 mm. Vespa orientalis readily feeds on meat, including carrion, unlike Vespa crabro, which is not attracted to dead prey. Live prey includes insects such as wasps, bees, grasshoppers, spiders, locusts and other types of small insects.
One such hornet can catch from 40 to 50 bees per day, and a hornet colony can destroy the population of an entire hive, therefore, in permanent habitats, it is a real disaster for beekeepers. They patrol near the hives and catch prey on the fly. they penetrate the hive, kill the bees, carry out the honey and eat the brood. The weakening of the bee colony indicates the need for urgent action. To combat these aggressors, beekeepers lay out poisoned meat baits. Their use is especially effective during the period when the hornets are feeding the brood.
This hardy insect builds nests deep underground and therefore rarely gets into the field of human sight.
With a passion for meat, he willingly uses nectar, tropical juices and fruits.
One of the main enemies is the bee-eater (Merops apiaster), which also feeds on bees. At the height of the season, Vespa orientalis, along with other Hymenoptera, is the main prey of the bee-eater.
Young fertilized females hibernate, but not singly, but in groups - two, three, and even four - in rock crevices, in holes in the ground, in tree hollows, etc. However, during the construction of the nest, the females stubbornly feud and do not tolerate any competition near them, despite their consanguinity.
In the chitinous cover of Vespa orientalis, semiconductor crystals have been found that function as solar cells, which are localized in the yellow parts of the cocoa-colored cuticle. With the help of these elements, the hornet generates heat to warm up its locomotor system. The voltage of its "batteries" is only a few hundredths of a millivolt, and the current they generate is several tens of nanoamperes (1 nA = 10 -9 A. - Approx. translator) - hornet able to accumulate. During the experiments, the remains of six hornets were connected in series, and their "battery" "pulled" an electronic clock.
What allows Vespa orientalis to tolerate tropical heat at 60 ° C without damage and perform all the necessary actions at the same time? In experiments on the ground, infrared cameras noted that some parts of the cuticle were colder than the outside temperature, which gave rise to several hypotheses to explain this phenomenon. Thus, it was suggested that the chitinous cover is cooled with the help of "heat exchangers", pumps that run on electricity generated by the "solar panels" of the insect. Other experts believe that hemolymph plays the main role in heat removal. Where does the excess heat go? After all, insects do not sweat.
In addition, in Vespa orientalis, crystals of a mineral similar to the fossil magnet ilmenite - titanium and iron oxide - were found in the cell lids. At the moment of completion of the construction of each cell, a hornet attaches a 0.1 mm magnetic crystal with saliva to a small depression in its lid. As a result, a crystalline magnetic lattice is formed with a certain magnetic field strength, which insects use as a kind of level and plumb line when building a nest. Where do insects get these crystals from? Some experts believe that hornets collect them in the surrounding sand. Others believe that these crystals are produced in the hornets' bodies, which was confirmed by chemical analysis of dead hornets.
It is known that not only Vespa orientalis, but also all Vespa species use magnetic crystals in the construction of cells, which were found even in cells that are widespread in our country (Vespula germanica).
Due to global warming, Vespa orientalis can reach our bees. In this case, the bees will be defenseless against his intervention, so practical measures to prevent this threat should be considered.
Currently, the French are racking their brains over the problem of the Asian hornet Vespa velutina (var. Nigrithorax) intruding into their territory in a ship container with Chinese goods (2004, Bordeaux). Thanks to the media, the French learned what the little robber is capable of.
In 2006-2008. The nigrithorax subspecies has invaded France and is distinguished by the dark coloration of the head, trunk and abdomen. The body is covered with a slightly golden fluff (hence the name valutina). The head is dark brown from above, the front of the head is yellow, even light brown. The first member of the abdomen at the connection with the second has a yellow stripe. The third term is narrower than the first, the fourth is wide, with a yellow-brown belt, the fifth and sixth are completely brown, without stripes. The insect has brightly colored yellow legs, which gave rise to the appearance of one of its nicknames - "yellow legs". The uterus is about 30 mm in size, males - 18-24 mm, workers hornets- about 20 mm. As you can see, its dimensions are somewhat smaller than that of the Vespa crabro.
Velutina is one of the most effective predators in the family of Hymenoptera, has many forms of attack, and therefore its habitat is expanding incredibly quickly. He lives in forests, in city parks, on the borders of fields, in heaps of brushwood, from where he drives out wild bees, wasps and bumblebees, tries to settle in gardens and vegetable gardens, masters gazebos near dwellings, and they find him in sewer wells.
If the local Vespa crabro live in families of several hundred individuals, then the Asian hornets able to establish colonies of several thousand individuals. In Taiwan, the nests of this hornet number up to 20 thousand individuals, and its relative Vespa affinis builds shelters for 10 thousand individuals.
Hornet velutina has an atypically long active period, starting in March and ending almost at the end of January.
The newcomer settles in very quickly. In the south of France, young fetal uterus successfully overwinter in relative warmth.
In a similar species, Vespa affinis, for example, a kind of "polygamy" has been established. During the active period, there were many (up to 14) fetal queens in the nest of this species. It can be assumed that a similar phenomenon exists in Vespa velutina.
This hornet- a fast and dexterous flyer, in flight it can turn on "reverse", which no other species of hornets can do. In addition, he has a non-standard way of nesting. It does not build one nest for the entire period of its activity, as most of the Vespidae family do. First of all, he builds temporary shelter in the bushes, and as soon as the colony grows and there is no room for brood in the nest, a second nest, much larger in size, is built in the crown of a tall tree. After hornets will move to a new nest, the female begins to actively lay eggs. The second largest house, thanks to a thousand-headed crowd of builders, is ready in record time (about a week), while the first house (the size of a soccer ball) remains empty. The second nest resembles a large ball (60-80 cm in diameter) and has a thick folded structure, ribbed with notches, reminiscent of a roughly plowed field. For construction, chewed wood mixed with saliva is used; saliva plays the role of a binding fluid, which hardens rather quickly in a thin layer, especially during the construction of combs.
The predator is indiscriminate in food and catches almost any insects that come across it, especially bees; surpasses our Vespa crabro in ruthlessness and cruelty. According to the testimony of some beekeepers, a raging gang of robbers plundered a whole hive of bees in 2 weeks.
Without a doubt, Asian bees withstand hornet attacks better than European ones. When a robber approaches, the guard at the taphole calls for help, and a humming vibrating canopy forms in the taphole, which forces the intruder to retreat. Otherwise, the guard takes it into a ball and raises the temperature inside it so that the hornet is "cooked in its own juice."
In China, comparative tests of the behavior of European and Asian bees were carried out when attacked by Asian hornets... The attacks on European bee hives were found to be more frequent, harsher and more prolonged than on Asian bee hives.
It is believed that Vespa velutina met Apis meliffera during long-distance solo flights. Has a faster wing movement, which produces a higher sound frequency than the Asian bee.
In addition, Apis meliffera smells slightly different to the hornets than the local Apis cerana. The odor gland, located at the tip of the abdomen, releases a secret into the air, which can have the role of a directive for the hornet to attack.
The difference between the European bee and the Asiatic (Apis cerana) bee is also noticeable in the manner of returning to the hive. Apis cerana flies into the hive quickly, like an arrow, and Apis meliffera in front of the hive slows down. Predators patrol 30-40 cm in front of the entrance, waiting for the bees returning from the field, and one moment is enough for the bee to become a victim of the villain. Hornet immediately butcher his prey: separates the head, legs, wings and abdomen, and takes away the breast for its larvae. The number of bees killed by hornets varies many times during the season, but it increases significantly when a large amount of brood is grown in the hornet's nest, mainly drones and future queens.
In 2007, a brisk destruction of the aggressor began in France, and according to UNAF (National Union of Beekeepers of France), about 1,000 hornet nests were destroyed, but this campaign did not bring the expected result. The remaining nests, approximately 11,000, were fully functional. The alien's fertility has taken on a second wind. According to UNAF, the Asian hornet moves 100-150 km each year. The local climate does not hold back his progress, so one can only guess where he will go and where he can be expected next year.
As the aggressor spreads, the number of complaints about attacks on people increases. This hornet pursues the object with indomitable ferocity and perseverance. Vespa velutina pursues its victim until it catches up with it and stings.
The situation in France looks far from rosy. We are talking about a violation of the biosystem. Monoculture agricultural production with extreme chemicalization has brought the region to a state of biological disaster. It's not just about the lack of nectar and pollen for bees and other beneficial colonies in the insect kingdom. Therefore, the fear that the aggressor, attacking in huge flocks, will destroy thousands of families of wild bees, bumblebees and other insect species is quite justified, which will greatly change the situation with pollination of entomophilous plants.
It is necessary to study the biology of a new species, to measure and determine the biological parameters of this insect (in new conditions); check the composition of food, feeding habits and habits, the reproductive capacity of the queens and study the dependence of reproduction. Temperature requirements for brood hatching are unknown. However, there is confidence that sooner or later a dangerous predator will get to England, Spain, Germany and Italy, and it will need more radical control. It is unclear whether the long and harsh continental winter of Central Europe will serve as an insurmountable barrier to the hopes of a thermophilic species, especially during the wintering phase of queens.
We are now experiencing global climate change, and this is a trigger for the unexpected and shocking penetration of alien flora and fauna. Vespa ori-entalis and Vespa velutina are only a signal to man that the time will come when we will have to swallow the bitter pill of our present carelessness and irresponsibility. Descendants will not forgive us for this, nor will the bees. For a wise solution to the problem, it is necessary to unite the scientific forces of entomologists, zoologists, biologists from many countries of the world.
Based on materials
magazine "Vcelarstvi"
(No. 11 and 12, 2009 and No. 1, 2010)
Translated from Czech by V. EFIMOV
housing estate "Beekeeping" No. 6, 2010
In recent years, the Belarusian military-industrial complex has been more and more persistently (albeit with varying success so far) promoting its latest developments in the field of anti-tank weapons on the international market. These include, with good reason, the third-generation anti-tank missile system (ATGM) "Shershen".
Being a further development of the Belarusian-Ukrainian anti-tank complex "Skif", ATGM "Shershen" due to the use of original technical solutions surpasses it in a number of important parameters.
Thus, the use, along with the RK-2 rocket of 130 mm caliber, the more powerful B-2M missile of 152 mm caliber (both developed by the Kiev State Design Bureau "Luch" and produced by the Kiev plant "Artem") allows the Shershen ATGM, according to the developers, to hit all modern armored targets regardless of the point of impact (projection).
The armor penetration of a tandem cumulative warhead behind ERA at an angle of encounter of 60 ± is: with a 130 mm missile - not less than 800 mm, with a 152 mm caliber missile - not less than 1100 mm.
ATGM "Shershen" can be used not only to destroy armored vehicles, but also (due to the presence of ammunition with high-explosive fragmentation and thermobaric warheads) to destroy buried protected objects (such as a bunker, bunker, bunker) and low-flying low-speed targets (helicopters, unmanned aerial vehicles devices). And the use of the elongated R-2V missile (in the Shershen-Q version) increases the maximum firing range to 7500 m, which significantly increases the chances of successful combat against surface targets in coastal defense.
High accuracy of hitting all types of targets is ensured by the use of an anti-jamming laser guidance system, which is implemented in the PN-S guidance device, developed and manufactured by the Minsk-based Peleng JSC.
This device has television and thermal imaging channels with wide and narrow fields of view. The first mode is used to find a target, and the second - to capture it. In addition to the PN-S guidance device, a thermal imaging camera can be installed, which makes it possible to detect and identify targets at a greater distance in adverse weather conditions.
Today PN-S is the only ATGM guidance device with a built-in laser rangefinder, which ensures the speed and accuracy of guidance. In addition, PN-S can be used as an autonomous means of reconnaissance and target designation (it can measure ranges up to 9 km with an error of 5 m).
The device can also be used to control anti-tank missiles, guided by a laser beam and fired not only from the launch container, but also from an artillery piece or a tank cannon. This allows the device to be used to target other missiles developed by the Luch Design Bureau, including 100-, 105-, 115-, 120- and 125-mm ammunition.
After launching the rocket, the operator's task is reduced to controlling the flight path and, if necessary, correcting the aiming point using the joystick on the remote control panel.
Thus, although the Shershen ATGM system actually implements the “fire and forget” principle, it is also possible to retarget the missile to a more important or dangerous target.
An important feature of this ATGM is the ability to direct the missile at a target from closed positions and from cover, which significantly reduces the risk of the operator being hit by a retaliatory fire strike from the enemy and significantly reduces the psychophysical impact on him.
The remote control panel can be carried up to a distance of 100 m from the launcher when using a wired communication channel and up to 300 m when using wireless control. To date, the function of wireless remote control is implemented only in the Shershen ATGM.
Moreover, one remote control can control several launchers and / or combat modules (up to four). The possibility of the operation of the complex (several complexes) as part of a single control system with the automation of the process of reconnaissance, target designation and target distribution is also provided.
Today we can talk about four modifications of the Shershen ATGM:
- Basic version consists of a universal combat module mounted on a tripod, a transport and launch container with one missile, a PN-S guidance device and a remote control. The deployment time of the complex by a combat crew of two does not exceed two minutes;
- "Hornet-L" is a lightweight version for shoulder firing at a distance of no more than 2.5 km;
- "Hornet-D"- modification with two firing channels, the possibility of installation on a vehicle;
- "Hornet-Q" is a modification with four firing channels and an automatic lift (or without it). Installed as a combat module on a vehicle.
We add that, despite the indisputable advantages of the Shershen ATGM over similar developments, information in open sources about the massive sales of these weapons has not yet been published.
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