Viral video: Hornets infuriated by EOD explosion in Afghanistan

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Angry hornets buzz in Afghanistan following an explosion set by explosive ordnance disposal technicians. (YouTube screen grab)

Traveling in Kajaki, Afghanistan, last year, I learned that we’d be spending a couple nights in a small mud compound with Marines… and a nest or oriental hornets. The insects looked monstrous — they can grow to more than two inches long — but there were no incidents worth mentioning.

A video recorded in 2007 suggests that hornets in Afghanistan aren’t always so harmless, however. It went viral online today, after being posted to Reddit, Gawker and other sites:

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Anybody else feel like they need some long sleeves? Clearly, these bugs aren’t fans of controlled detonations like Marines.

The YouTube video page suggests the insects are wasps, but a commenter suggests they are again oriental hornets. Here’s what they looked like last year in Kajaki:

Little death machines, that’s what they are. Little death machines.

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About Author

I'm a senior writer with Marine Corps Times, covering ground warfare, manpower, weapons acquisition and other beats. I embedded in Afghanistan in spring 2010, and plan to return at least once in 2011.

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