Photo: Rakuten/Whole Square Sweet Kitchen
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Honey with hornets is exactly what it sounds like

15 Comments
By Casey Baseel, SoraNews24

Japan is a nation of unabashed foodies, and so when Japanese Twitter user @yusai00 came across some locally made honey from a small batch producer in Oita Prefecture, he decided to buy some to take home. However, it wasn’t just the rich golden color that caught his attention, but the fact that each and every bottle contained a giant bug in it.

When you think of honey and insects, your mind mike instantly jumps to bees, but the special ingredient is a different species altogether. Those are actually hornets suspended in the sweet, syrupy liquid.

“What?!? Why?!?!? How?!?!?!?” you might be screaming, and so we’ll answer those in turn. Starting with “What?”, again, these are bottles of honey with hornets in them. As for “Why?” that answer has two parts.

Hornets and bees are natural enemies, and just a few hornets are capable of ruining a hive that houses thousands of times as many bees. As such, beekeepers see hornets as a scourge, and disposing of them is something they have to do while producing honey. Secondly, the makers claim that by placing the hornets in the jars, the insect’s essences and extracts soak into the honey, making it healthier and more delicious.

▼ The jars ship in opaque containers, which deliverymen no doubt appreciate.

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And finally, for the most disturbing part of the story, let’s get to “How?” While the complete details aren’t provided, the manufacturers do say that the hornets used for the special honey are captured, “at the risk of our beekeepers’ lives,” while trying to encroach on the bees’ territory. They’re then placed, while still alive, into the jars, which are then closed up, and spend the last moments of their lives essentially suffocating/drowning in honey.

If there’s a bronze lining to all this, it’s that you’re not actually supposed to eat the hornet. Instead, you’re supposed to use just the honey, leaving the hornet as “a decoration,” according to the manufacturers. They even recommend pouring in some sort of alcohol to preserve the creature once you’ve consumed all the honey (although if you just polished off a whole jar of hornet honey, you might need to drink that liquor itself to ease your psychological anguish).

Honey with Hornets, as the product is fittingly called, can be ordered online here through Rakuten at a price of 1,260 yen for a 150-gram jar. That’s not exactly cheap, but we imagine the demand for bug-enhanced sweeteners isn’t particularly price elastic. The product is also not recommended for children under 1, though it’s not specified if that guideline is based on nutritional/digestive concerns or the simple human decency of sparing babies from emotional trauma.

And no, @yusai00 hasn’t mentioned anything about how it tastes, though we imagine it would go great as a topping for Japan’s matcha green tea cricket bars or wasp crackers.

Source: Twitter/@yusai00 via Jin, Rakuten/Whole Square Sweet Kitchen

Read more stories from SoraNews24.

-- Try a super-easy summer cold remedy with this natural Honey Daikon Cough Syrup recipe

-- Hornets: The perfect pet for people living in Japan?

-- We try renowned patissier’s honey-sweet creation available for just one day

© SoraNews24

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.

15 Comments
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What a con!

Placing a big hornet in the jar instead of honey....

6 ( +7 / -1 )

I'll pass thanks.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

the makers claim that by placing the hornets in the jars, the insect’s essences and extracts soak into the honey, making it healthier and more delicious.

Look, I know honey is basically bee spit. And that is good for the human body. Like vinegar, honey never goes bad. But I don't buy the part about the hornet's essences soaking into the honey makes it healthier. And that big hornet is taking up quite a bit of space in that jar.

you’re supposed to use just the honey, leaving the hornet as “a decoration,” 

What! And waste that hornet? lol

Anyway, I already have plenty of decorations in my home in the form of cockroaches.

Just kidding.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Buy Manuka 10+ or 15+

Or Go to hills for pure raw honey

(I think these Japanese companies should go the hills of Nepal for real honey business)

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Why not stick a middle finger pointing up at the customer, any thinking person will guess its a way to reduce the amount of product in the container... Can you say gimmick in Japanese?

1 ( +1 / -0 )

There's a niche in the aphrodisiac market for a product like this.

"Are you feeling Horney"

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Some companies spent thousands of Pounds, Dollars, Yen on provocative, saductive, clever advertising to lure a potential customer to buy that product, advertisers use all sorts of clever tactics like a sexy man or woman, but to place a big fat nasty hornet in a jar of honey! what are they thinking of? most people are put off by these darn things, wasps are bad enough but hornets? its more likely to have a negative out come rather than a positive one, The best thing about this tactic is its got onto the news which is cheap advertising for the company, but will sell a shed load of these jars of Honey? may be for the novelty factor, that's all then sales will drop off.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

The hornet larvae are said to have extraordinary nutritional properties, and can be quite expensive. This is just a variation of that, so I don't see why people are upset. 1260 yen is not going to break anyone's bank. And it's a lot better than paying $100 over value for a pair of sneakers with a Nike logo.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

If you have allergy to hornet venom (have you ? took a test ?), one drop of that honey can kill you, isn't it ?

not recommended for children under 1, though it’s not specified if that guideline is based on nutritional/digestive concerns 

Babies are not supposed to have honey due to risk of botulism.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

No Thank you.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

They’re then placed, while still alive, into the jars, which are then closed up, and spend the last moments of their lives essentially suffocating/drowning in honey.

That is cruel and disgusting.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

That is cruel and disgusting.

If you think that's cruel, you should read how honey bees kill those hornets. Personally, I would choose the honey bath.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

If you think that's cruel, you should read how honey bees kill those hornets.

Humans and honey bees have the same moral compass?

1 ( +1 / -0 )

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