the story
Two of the insects were discovered in Washington State in the autumn of 2019; this was the earliest record.
Sightings of an invasive species of hornet known as “murder hornets” — a moniker drawn from their brutal stings and killing of honey bees — have raised concerns that the insects might have a disastrous impact on the ecosystem in the United States.
The Asian giant hornet has been found in the U.S. and Canada for the first time in more than one place, says the New York Times.
East Asia is home to Asia’s giant hornets. Their queens may grow to be up to two inches long, making them noticeable. They have sharp fangs and stingers and can fly up to 15 miles per hour.
Each year, hornets murder up to fifty persons in Japan alone. However, their capabilities are demonstrated by their brutal extermination of honey bees.
These giant hornets kill bee colonies by first cutting off the bees’ heads, then ripping off their thoraxes and feeding them to their young. Entomologists have given these big bugs the name “murder hornets” because they can kill people.
Now, these aggressive creatures that kill bees have made it to the U.S. In the fall of 2019, two of the insects were found in the northwest corner of Washington State. This was the first time they had been seen.
“I couldn’t figure out what could have done that,” said beekeeper Ted McFall of the gruesome scene of bees with their heads cut off that he found at one of his hives in Washington. But he thought a murdered hornet was to blame because of all the dead animals.
Jeff Kornelis, who lives two miles from McFall, found the bug, which proved that it was in the United States. Kornelis called the state when he found a dead giant hornet on his property. The state confirmed that it was an Asian giant hornet.
At about the same time, there were confirmed cases in Vancouver, Canada, just across the border.
An entomologist from Nanaimo named Conrad Bérubé was stung by a group of killer hornets when he tried to get rid of their nest on Vancouver Island. He got stung several times, and the stings went through his thick beekeeper’s suit and sweatpants.
“It felt like someone drove red-hot thumbtacks into my skin,” Bérubé said. Some of the stings made him bleed and hurt all over, especially in his legs. Bérubé said it was by far the worst thing he had gone through in his career. But because of what he did, the species was found to be in Canada.
According to Jun-ichi Takahashi, a researcher at Kyoto Sangyo University in Japan, aggressive group attacks from this species have been known to expose victims to toxic venom concentrations comparable to those of a venomous snake.
In an effort to identify the colonies in the state’s frigid, moist forests, the scientists involved in the search have employed high-tech instruments such as thermal tracing.
According to Chris Looney, an entomologist at the Washington State Department of Agriculture, researchers also intend to apply radio-frequency identification devices to captured hornets, which may lead to the nest.