What are 'Murder Hornets' and should I be worried? Asian giant hornets spotted in the US

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What are 'Murder Hornets' and should I be worried? Asian giant hornets spotted in the US

 

 

An invasive hornet species slaughters honeybees, can be deadly to humans and –unfortunately – has been spotted in the United States.

 

A small number of Asian giant hornet sightings in the Pacific Northwest has raised alarm after a nickname for the predators started trending on Twitter Saturday: "Murder Hornet." While experts

 

have been tracking the invasive species in the U.S. for months, a New York Times feature published Saturday brought nickname to the national consciousness.

 

It's a fittingly upsetting nickname, based on a lengthy March presentation  from Washington State Department of Agriculture entomologist Chris Looney. It opened with a slide listing other

 

ominous titles for the the largest hornet in the world: "yak killer hornet" and "giant sparrow bee" among them.

 

This spring, the Washington state Department of Agriculture started hunting for Asian giant hornets after two confirmed sightings of the predator.

 

And while officials are concerned, especially for local honeybee populations, the danger to the average person is low at this time Looney, confirmed to USA TODAY Saturday.

 

The hornets are "probably not going to murder someone ... don’t panic," Looney said.

 

Sightings have been limited to the Pacific Northwest, although the smaller European hornet is sometimes mistaken for the Asian giant hornet on the East Coast.

 

For humans unfortunate enough come in contact with an Asian giant hornet, Looney had simple advice in his March presentation: "Just run away."

 

The predators kill between 40 and 50 people annually in Japan – many victims suffer from allergies, but some have died from the potency of the venom alone, he said.

 

Rare complications can include localized necrosis, respiratory failure, kidney failure, liver damage and blood clots.

 

But the more immediate danger in the United States is to an already vulnerable honeybee population.

 

Looney described a lifecycle where Asian giant hornets attack individual honeybees in the early summer – turning prey into a "meatball" to feed to hornet larvae. Soon, the hornets abandon this

 

"hunting phase" in favor of the “slaughter phase” – the wholesale killing of bee colonies so the hornets can plunder their hives.

 

Efforts to contain the spread of the hornets, which prey on virtually any insect in addition to honeybees, have been ramping up in recent weeks, Looney said Saturday.

 

One thing local residents can do to help: Report suspected sightings to the Washington State Department of Agriculture.

 

Source

[lurch234]

That's not good news. European honeybees have no defense mechanisms against these hornets compared to their Japanese sisters.

Japanese honeybees will swarm individual hornets in a ball to effectively raise the hornets temperature and literally cook them.

Japanese honeybees have a slightly higher heat tolerance which lets them defend themselves this way.

Unfortunately, this only works against hornet scouts and not a wholesale invasion. The devastation these hornets accomplish is painful to behold

[mp68terr]

Quote

Sightings have been limited to the Pacific Northwest, although the smaller European hornet is sometimes mistaken for the Asian giant hornet on the East Coast.

What about the Asian hornets found in Europe (not speaking about the European hornet)? Similar or different compare to the one depicted here?

 

Thanks @lurch234 for the info regarding the Japanese honeybees. Maybe these bees have 'learn' how to defend themselves. It's hard for others to find how to fight a new/imported enemy.

[Jogs]

May be the Chinese created them in their labs sent them to US. 😁

[Karlston]

The murder hornet is the 2020 B-plot you probably didn’t see coming

They’ve just arrived in the US but don’t feel obligated to welcome them 

 

Its nickname is ‘murder hornet’

Washington State Department of Agriculture

As The Verge’s weekend editor, I endeavor to find a good mix of stories for our Saturday and Sunday site visitors, balancing news about tech and policy with the latest about the coronavirus and its impact, along with other news of the day. Some days the news is upbeat and interesting and then other days the writers of the script for 2020: The Horror Show throw in a murder hornet plot twist because a pandemic is apparently not terrifying enough without two-inch hornets that rip the heads off of honeybees.

 

The New York Times has the story of the Asian giant hornet, which has recently arrived in the US, to the dismay of entomologists.

With queens that can grow to two inches long, Asian giant hornets can use mandibles shaped like spiked shark fins to wipe out a honeybee hive in a matter of hours, decapitating the bees and flying away with the thoraxes to feed their young. For larger targets, the hornet’s potent venom and stinger — long enough to puncture a beekeeping suit — make for an excruciating combination that victims have likened to hot metal driving into their skin.

Asian giant hornets can fly at speeds up to 20 miles per hour and their stings are described as feeling like “red hot thumbtacks.” Fun!

 

For the sake of comparison:

 

Washington State Department of Agriculture

According to the Times, the US arrival of these hornets (scientific name: Vespa mandarina), is particularly troubling not only because their stings hurt like hell and they’re terrifying to look at, but because of their potential impact on the US honeybee population, which already is in decline.

Scientists have since embarked on a full-scale hunt for the hornets, worried that the invaders could decimate bee populations in the United States and establish such a deep presence that all hope for eradication could be lost.

Read all about the murder hornet in the New York Times, but be warned that it will be very hard to eradicate the images from your brain.

 

 

Source: The murder hornet is the 2020 B-plot you probably didn’t see coming (The Verge)

[mp68terr]

43 minutes ago, Karlston said:

They’ve just arrived in the US but don’t feel obligated to welcome them 

According to the pic they look similar to the ones found in Europe. Trapped plenty last Summer with a mixture of beer and apple juice; the good thing is that there were no honeybees among the trapped ones.

[lurch234]

Here's two videos. One showing the size of these things versus honeybees (that video is pretty hard to watch)

And the other one shows how Japanese honeybees take care of the hornets

 

 

 

[FaeGiN]

7 hours ago, Karlston said:

use mandibles shaped like spiked shark fins to wipe out a honeybee hive in a matter of hours, decapitating the bees and flying away with the thoraxes to feed their young.

Oooh shit. That sounds like it's straight out of a horror fantasy movie.

They're basically monsters.