The Asian hornet’s tolerance for booze is so high, it could drink every day for a week and be unaffected, as study has revealed.
The tiny bug, wielding a deadly 6mm stinger, is a savage critter. Their ability to kill humans and rip apart bumble bees have been made even more terrifying by the fact the minuscule beer guzzlers don’t get drunk.
A recent study by the Tel Aviv University found Asian hornets can manage high levels of ethanol concentrations — as high as 80% — whereas most animals struggle with ethanol concentrations over 4%.
READ MORE: Booze-loving Asian hornets set to invade UK pubs as terrifying beer garden warning issued
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Researchers found even consuming nothing but 80% ethanol all week, the Asian hornet didn’t demonstrating any behavioural or survival changes, reports IFLScience.
The team gathered male hornets from university grounds and kept them in boxes for a week with with nothing but water and a sugar solution containing an ethanol concentration ranging from 0% to 80%. The team then monitored the winged beasts’ behaviour.
Study author Eran Levin said: “In the beginning, we did the experiment only with 20% [ethanol] and we were already amazed.”
He added that the 80% figure was “even harder to believe”.
(Image: Guernsey State)
The ability to neck high-levels of booze without any side effects comes down to genetics, the study explained.
It stated: “This remarkable ethanol tolerance results from their high rates of ethanol metabolism, most likely enabled by their multiple copies of the alcohol dehydrogenase (NADP+) gene.”
Alcohol dehydrogenase in an enzyme that breaks down ethanol, and this could spell bad news for Brits. As Asian hornets establish themselves across the UK, pub gardens were put on red alert for fear they would attract the tiny killers who are as thirsty for a cold pint as we are.
(Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
Guernsey’s Asian hornet chief huntsman, Francis Russell said the predators from China just love alcohol .
He said: “We have noticed over the last few summers that Asian hornets have a taste for alcohol.
“We have pictures of hornets over beer glasses. We’ve got them over glasses of Champagne and they do seem to find summer parties, barbecues, pub gardens and that’s where we occasionally get reports of Asian hornets turning up and that’s a good place for us to start tracking and working out where their nests are.”
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