Monster sized wasps start a colony beside busy Indonesian street

These wasps are banded paper wasps and they are among the biggest wasps in the world. They were seen in Bali as they rapidly began construction of a nest under a small overhang beside a busy city street. A tourist who was waiting for his friends to come out of a store, found shelter from the rain under this overhang. He heard a loud buzzing sound and saw one of these giant wasps fly right over his head. It sounded more like a small drone than an insect as it came in for a landing. The tourist looked up to see several of these beasts right above his head.
Wasps were coming and going, bringing chunks of meat or insect carcasses. These were being fed to larvae and young wasps that had recently emerged from the cells.
Wasps like these are carnivores. They kill and eat insects and use them to feed their young. They prefer caterpillars or larvae, but they will feed on various flying or crawling insects. As they feed the larvae, larvae emit a sweet fluid, similar to honey that the adults also feed on.
These wasps were 3-4cm (1.5 inches) in length, with large wings and large heads. A local tour guide said that they are commonly referred to as turmeric wasps due to their yellow colouring. He warned that these wasps deliver an extremely powerful sting if they are disturbed or threatened and that anyone experiencing this would feel an intense fire in the affected area that could also make them feel very sick.
Indonesia is home to many unique and fascinating creatures. In comparison with North America, many creatures such as these wasps seem more formidable and more dangerous. We are only beginning to understand the world around us.