THIS is the jaw-dropping moment a deadly Asian 'murder hornet' is devoured alive by a ravenous praying mantis.

The gruesome fight to the death proved a real one-sided affair following a lightning quick strike by the bigger bug.

The much-larger insect is seen gripping its rival with its powerful spiny front legs before tucking into its head.

Footage captures the moment life drains out of the luckless hornet as the mantis chews off the side of its face.

Within a matter of seconds the hornet's head has virtually disappeared on the clip, which was posted on Reddit.

Those to have witnesses the staged battle were clearly impressed by the prowess of the preying mantis.

Grimrock wrote: "That was terrifying" while Ram4 added: "That's like a horror movie."

A relieved JackB pointed out: "Thank god those mantis don't grow to six foot."

KingDed wrote: "The worst part was when the hornet kept trying to sting the mantis after its brain was completely eaten."

IcyDeath then explained: "They don't have a brain they have ganglia which are bundle of nerves spread on vertical axis of its body .

"That is why even though it has no head it is still alive."

The video emerged just days after it was reported there had been a huge influx of the giant hornets in the western hemisphere.

Their stings are reported to be extremely painful – like a hot metal spike driving through the skin.

It's been reported up to 50 people a year who get stung by the bugs – which measure two inches in length – end up dying.

However, it's worth bearing in mind the annual average for normal bee, wasp and hornet stings is around 62 deaths.

The hornet can measure up to two-inches long and, given the chance, they'll wipe out an entire bee colony within hours.

Until now, they've never been spotted outside of Asia before, sparking serious fears for the country's bee population.

The killer hornets work by decapitating the bees and feeding on their young.

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