Incredible footage shows how a swarm of Japanese bees killed a 'murder hornet' that entered their hive attempting to eat them.
The 'murder hornet', also known as the Asian giant hornet, usually lives in the rainforests of Japan, until recently when it's been spotted in Washington in the US.
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The hornets can grow up to two-inches (5.8cm) and have a venom that is around seven times more powerful than a bee's. They also look pretty bloody scary.
The hornets are known to obliterate beehives, drink the honey, decapitate the bees and rip out their thoraxes to feed to their young.
As well as destroying bee populations, the hornets are responsible for around 50 human deaths per year in Japan, according to The New York Times.
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As the US comes to terms with an influx of murder hornets, and what that could mean for the country's bee populations, someone on Twitter has unearthed a clip from a BBC Natural World documentary titled Buddha, Bees and the Giant Hornet Queen that shows a number of bees working together to kill one.
The clip shows hundreds of bees climbing over and covering the hornet so that it overheats due to their vibrations and is eventually 'roasted alive'. Grim, eh?
The video has since gone viral with thousands of people retweeting it and commenting on the brave little bees.
One person wrote: "Happy ending except for the one bee who got decapitated. He's a hero, though."
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A second asked: "Can they do a Zoom lesson with American bees?"
A third person joked: "This holds up in nature court. He attacked first so they had every right to defend themselves. His family can't even sue for honey."
Experts in the US are worried about the impact the hornets may have on native bee populations.
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Washington State Department of Agriculture entomologist Chris Looney told the NYT: "This is our window to keep it from establishing
"If we can't do it in the next couple of years, it probably can't be done."
While entomologist Todd Murray said in a statement: "We need to teach people how to recognise and identify this hornet while populations are small, so that we can eradicate it while we still have a chance."
Featured Image Credit: BBC
Topics: World News, Animals