Japanese Frogs Swallow 2-Inch Giant Hornets, Challenging Predator Status
Updated
Updated · spacedaily.com · Jun 10
Japanese Frogs Swallow 2-Inch Giant Hornets, Challenging Predator Status
2 articles · Updated · spacedaily.com · Jun 10
Summary
Kobe University ecologist Shinji Sugiura reported in December 2025 that Japanese black-spotted pond frogs eat Asian giant hornets whole and show no visible distress.
Lab trials backed the field observations: frogs consumed live hornets, kept them down, and appeared unharmed, suggesting possible physiological resistance to the hornet’s venom.
That finding undercuts the hornet’s fearsome reputation as a top insect predator, built on repeated stings, venom linked to 30 to 50 deaths a year in Japan, and raids that can wipe out 30,000 honeybees in hours.
The species had already alarmed North America after arriving in Washington state in 2019, but officials said by late 2024 it had been eradicated from the United States after nests including one with about 1,500 hornets were destroyed.