Honey-bee-predator
Guides
Mallophora
Bee-killers
Mallophora is a genus of large, robust robber flies (family Asilidae) commonly known as bee-killers. The genus contains approximately 60 described species distributed primarily in the Americas. Adults are powerful aerial predators that capture bees and other insects in flight, while larvae of at least some species are solitary ectoparasitoids of scarab beetle larvae (white grubs) in soil. Mallophora ruficauda, the best-studied species, is a significant pest of apiculture in the Pampas region of Argentina, where adults prey on honey bees, yet the same species functions as a beneficial biological control agent of agricultural pests through its larval parasitism of scarab grubs.
Vespa
Hornets
Vespa is a genus of large social wasps known as hornets, comprising 22 recognized species worldwide. Members are distinguished from other vespine wasps by their relatively large top margin of the head and rounded abdominal segment behind the waist. Some species reach up to 5.5 cm in length, making them among the largest eusocial wasps. Several species are significant agricultural pests due to their predation on honey bees, including the Asian giant hornet (V. mandarinia) and yellow-legged hornet (V. velutina), both of which have been detected as invasive species in North America.
Vespa mandarinia
Asian giant hornet, Japanese giant hornet, yak-killer hornet
Vespa mandarinia is the world's largest hornet species, native to temperate and tropical low mountains and forests of eastern Asia. It has been introduced to the Pacific Northwest of North America, where it was first detected in British Columbia and Washington State in 2019. The species poses significant threats to European honey bee colonies through coordinated group attacks, and its establishment could impact apiculture, ecosystems, and public health.