Murder Hornets
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Looks Like The U.S. Might Have 'Murder Hornets' Now
As the death toll from the coronavirus continues to climb and millions find themselves struggling to pay bills amid growing economic uncertainty, a new danger may be buzzing on the horizon.
Namely, murder hornets.
The New York Times reported Saturday that the insects, actually called Asian giant hornets, could establish themselves in the United States after two were spotted late last year in Washington state. The creatures got the nickname “murder hornets” ― which the Times says was coined by researchers ― because they’re, well, kinda murder-y.
“They’re like something out of a monster cartoon with this huge yellow-orange face,” Susan Cobey, a bee breeder with Washington State University’s Department of Entomology, said in an April news release from the university.
The hornets are the world’s largest and can grow to more than 2 inches long. Though they aren’t usually aggressive to humans unless their nests are disturbed, their stings are venomous enough to kill someone who gets stung multiple times. According to the Times, the hornets kill up to 50 people a year in Japan and folks on the receiving end of the sting have compared it to the feeling of being speared by hot metal.
They’re also devastating to honey bee populations, wiping out hives and partially consuming the occupants. Last November, a beekeeper in Blaine, Washington, was shocked to discover thousands of his bees with their heads ripped off ― the murder hornet’s signature move.
It was never confirmed that hornets were the killers. But the next month, the Washington Department of Agriculture recovered a dead giant hornet from a property near Blaine, The Bellingham Herald reported at the time. The property owner had also spotted a live giant hornet flying around. The nearby town of Custer also had two reports of the big hornets, which WSU noted were unconfirmed but “probable.”
A few months before the Washington sightings, officials over the border in British Columbia had found and destroyed an Asian giant hornets’ nest.
The hornets’ native range is is eastern and southeast Asia, and it’s not clear how they may have gotten to North America. Scientist fear the hornets could be a major menace to the northwest’s bee populations, causing enormous problems for agriculture and local ecosystems.
Last month, Washington state officials set up dozens of traps meant to capture any giant hornet queens that would be coming out of a long winter of dormancy underground, and said they’d be encouraging people to make homemade bottle traps.
But while officials are enlisting the public’s help in locating the hornets, they’re also encouraging people to be cautious. State entomologist Chris Looney told The Bellingham Herald that anyone who comes across the hornets should remain calm, but nevertheless keep their distance.
“If you encounter these, run away,” he said.
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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
Comments
I heard rumors that their sting will cure or produce an immunity to Covid 19.
I will take that Murder hornet out with my BB gun.
I would pour a gallon of kero on a nest and burn them alive,
Its nothing a few gallons of bifenthrin won't fix. You can mix demon wp and bifen if you want them to be extra dead.☠☠☠
In Japan, the 'Murder Hornet' Is Both a Lethal Threat and a Tasty Treat
TOKYO — Long before the Asian giant hornet began terrorizing the honeybees of Washington state, the ferocious insects posed a sometimes lethal threat to hikers and farmers in the mountains of rural Japan.
But in the central Chubu region, these insects — sometimes called “murder hornets” — are known for more than their aggression and excruciating sting. They are seen as a pleasant snack and an invigorating ingredient in drinks.
The giant hornet, along with other varieties of wasps, has traditionally been considered a delicacy in this rugged part of the country. The grubs are often preserved in jars, pan-fried or steamed with rice to make a savory dish called hebo-gohan. The adults, which can be 2 inches long, are fried on skewers, stinger and all, until the carapace becomes light and crunchy. They leave a warming, tingling sensation when eaten.
The hornets can also give liquor an extra kick. Live specimens are drowned in shochu, a clear distilled beverage. In their death throes, the insects release their venom into the liquid, and it is stored until it turns a dark shade of amber.
The real thrill, however, is not in the eating or drinking of the giant hornet, but in the hunt.
Setting out in the early summer months, intrepid hunters track the insects to their huge nests, which can house as many as 1,000 hornets and their larvae, in the boles of rotting trees or underground. They lure a hornet with a streamer attached to a piece of fish, and when it grabs the morsel and takes off, the hunting party goes on a steeplechase through the woods. Upon finding the nest, the hunters stun the insects with smoke, then use chain saws and shovels to extract it.
In other cases, the nests are rooted out by professional exterminators. Torao Suzuki, 75, said he removed 40 to 50 nests a year, getting stung as many as 30 times each season. “It hurts, it swells, and it turns red, but that’s about it,” he said about the stings. “I guess I’m immune.”
They sure have to endure quite a bit in Japan. Apparently they are even familiar with what it feels like to be "speared by hot metal"