Dr.Wieland Lippoldmüller Tierdokumentar Wildlife films
The Queen Hornet and her Secret Life

The Queen Hornet and her Secret Life

(2002)

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Trailer (6:45 min):

About the film:

Hornets are seen as attack-happy and extremely dangerous insects.

These hornets have a bad reputation, but are actually peace-loving and astounding animals; their lives are full of secrets. We take a peek into the hidden, even lesser-known, and sometimes dangerous life of a queen hornet from spring to fall.

We also learn something about a hornet’s complicated social life. For example, the first ever documented and hardly studied phenomenon of the building of a colony late at night and the wedding of the queen to the male drone.

Although the hornet is a protective insect, it also has its predators. In the springtime, queen hornets fight without reservation when it comes to defending their newly established nests - as even Bee-eaters gladly gobble up a hornet as it flies through the air. The hornet’s main predator is man. People hunt the largest wasp species out of fear and love of order, although these insects are some of the most highly endangered insects and are therefore strongly protected.