Tag: Murder Hornets

Washington entomologists obliterated the first ‘Murder Hornet’ nest found in the U.S.

Some good news!

It turns out that 2020 hasn’t brought us entirely bad news.

Earlier in the year, Washington state agriculture officials (and basically all of us on the internet) were concerned about the discovery of the Asian Giant Hornets — terrifyingly dubbed the Murder Hornet — for the first time in North America.

These three-inch hornets pack a painful and potentially lethal sting that could penetrate beekeepers suits, and they looked horrifying. But mainly, the concern was for the North American honeybee population, which would be unable to defend itself against the invasive Murder Hornets that feast on honeybee larva.

For most of the year, entomologists were unable to find evidence that the Murder Hornets had established any real foothold in the U.S., but that changed this month. Through tracking and local tips, state officials located an entire nest near Blaine, Wash.

On Saturday, that nest of around 200 hornets was eradicated.

After spending weeks tracking individual hornets, the state workers were able to locate the nest in a tree near the USA-Canada border. The state workers wore special protective suits (because, again, regular beekeeper suits provide no protection against these stingers) and vacuumed the hornets out of the nest.

The state agriculture department celebrated the successful nest eradication with a Twitter video and caption of “Got ’em.”

The department did go on to add that it believes more Asian Giant Hornet nests could exist in the region, and the entomologists remain determined to wipe out the remaining nests before the hornets start attacking honeybee hives.

But this was certainly a great start.

Washington hasn’t been able to find any new ‘Murder Hornets’ since the first sightings

Well, that’s a relief.

Hey, here’s some good news from 2020:

It doesn’t look like the state of Washington is going to buckle at the hands of an infestation of Asian giant hornets — or “Murder Hornets,” as they’ve been so eloquently dubbed. At least, that’s the early indication.

Earlier in the month, The New York Times reported that for the first time the Asian giant hornet had been discovered in the U.S. near the border town of Blaine, Wash., and there was a separate nest in British Columbia.

Understandably, the name “Murder Hornet” and their sting, which is capable of killing a human if the person is stung multiple times, had the public concerned.

(AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

Nobody wanted to run into a 2-inch-long hornet with a stinger that can penetrate beekeepers suits. But still, the primary concern was with the North American honeybee population as Asian giant hornets attack and kill entire bee hives to feast on larva. While Japanese honeybees developed a defense mechanism, the North American bees would be especially vulnerable.

Yet, despite traps placed across the Pacific Northwest and beekeepers on high alert, there hasn’t been a new sighting of the hornets in 2020, according to Karla Salp of the Washington Department of Agriculture. The nest in British Columbia had also been eradicated. The traps can be seen below.

(AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, Pool)

Beekeepers will remain on the lookout as the weather gets warmer in Washington, but thus far, the lack of sightings has been encouraging.

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This video of a praying mantis eating a murder hornet is a reminder that nature is terrifying

It’s an insect-eat-insect world out there.

As if 2020 couldn’t get any worse, the world has now been put on alert by a new formidable foe: The “murder hornet.”

Last Saturday, the New York Times reported that the Asian giant hornet, better known by its amazing nickname “murder hornet,” has arrived in the United States. The hornet has the capability to devastate bee populations, but also poses a threat to humans. In Japan, the murder hornet is responsible for 50 deaths per year.

You know who isn’t worried about the murder hornet, though? This ruthless praying mantis, which was filmed pouncing on and devouring its prey to earn the title “murder mantis.”

(Warning: This gets a little nasty.)

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Photos reveal the absolutely startling size of queen ‘Murder Hornets’

NOPE.

Saturday’s report from The New York Times that the Asian giant hornet — known to many as the “Murder Hornet” — made its way to North America for the first time understandably had plenty of people on edge. It’s the kind of twisted subplot we should expect from 2020.

The hornets were found in parts of Washington and British Columbia, Canada, and if they spread, the insects pose a huge threat to the North American honeybee population. The Murder Hornets attack honeybee hives, killing every bee just to feast on their larva.

These Murder Hornets are also huge and pack an extremely painful sting that can be lethal to humans (if the person gets stung multiple times).

As word of these Murder Hornets’ arrival to North America made rounds on the internet, some users uncovered a photo gallery from 2011 that put to scale just how big the queen Murder Hornets can be. (Note: Click on the photo for the full flickr gallery).

Vespa mandarinia/Japanese hornets.. QUEENS!

Those stingers … Uh, yeah, Murder Hornets can stay away. Thanks.

It’s important to remember that the queen Murder Hornets are about twice the size of male and worker hornets, but either way, the sizes of these insects are intimidating.

Vespa mandarinia/Japanese hornets... Queens + male and worker

Since the hornets were discovered in Washington, entomologists have worked to eradicate these hornets from North America to protect the honeybee population. The Japanese honeybees have developed a defense mechanism to “cook” attacking Murder Hornets by swarming the intruder. But North American honeybees don’t have this ability and would be especially vulnerable.

Also, nobody wants to see those hornets once we’re all allowed to go back outside. That would just be another reason to extend the quarantine.

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Mesmerizing video shows how Japanese honeybees can kill a ‘Murder Hornet’

Oddly satisfying.

Over the weekend, 2020 managed to get even worse as a year when The New York Times reported that Asian giant hornets — or “Murder Hornets” — had been discovered in North America for the first time.

This development was unwelcome news for obvious reasons: Nobody wants to encounter a three-inch hornet with a stinger that can penetrate beekeeper suits. Plus, a sting from a “Murder Hornet” can kill a human if that person takes multiple stings. But even one sting — as we saw from YouTuber Coyote Peterson — looks extremely unpleasant.

It’s a whole lot of NOPE from our perspective.

But when it comes to the already-dwindling honeybee population, the arrival of Murder Hornets to North America is a huge concern as these hornets attack and kill entire hives to feast on larva. In Japan, at least, the honeybees do have a defense against Murder Hornets where they lure in a scout hornet, swarm the insect and create enough energy to “cook” the intruder.

A video of this defense was particularly satisfying to watch. Go bees!

While Japanese honeybees have developed this defense mechanism against Murder Hornets, the honeybees in North America have not and would be especially vulnerable if these hornets spread across the continent.

University of Arizona associate entomology professor Katy Prudic explained in a recent newsletter:

Japanese honeybees have evolved an ambush defense against these hornets. When a hornet scout finds a honeybee hive, the honeybees lure her in, then collectively pounce on the hornet, beating their wings as much as they can. This flurry attack raises the temperature around the hornet, eventually killing her and a few of the honeybees closest to her. The hive will remain undiscovered to the hornet colony and live to see another day.

This adaptation is not seen in European honeybees, which are common domesticated pollinators used in our agriculture systems. So, if this hornet becomes a pest, we might have to figure out a way to get them to behave more like a Japanese honeybee through some sort of genetic modification.

Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.

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YouTuber Coyote Peterson willingly got stung by a ‘Murder Hornet’ and it seemed awful

Why?!

In case 2020 couldn’t have gotten any worse as a year, giant “Murder Hornets” thought it was a good time to arrive on U.S. soil.

According to a Saturday report from The New York Times, the Asian giant hornet — delightfully dubbed “Murder Hornets” — have been spotted in parts of Washington and British Columbia, Canada for the first time. The hornets, which are indeed giant, have a stinger that’s capable of penetrating a regular beekeeper suit. The hornets also can kill human if that person is stung multiple times.

Though the primary concern about these hornets arriving to North America concerns the bee population — these hornets kill entire hives of honeybees just to feast on larva — the prospect of running into a three-inch hornet is terrifying.

And, well, a video of YouTuber Coyote Peterson letting a Murder Hornet sting him will do nothing to quell those fears. (Note: Sting happens around the 11-minute mark).

In an effort to measure up the world’s most painful stings, Peterson tracked down the giant hornet in Japan and intentionally took a sting from the insect.

To Peterson’s misfortune, the Murder Hornet’s stinger actually got caught and dislodged into his arm, which caused way more venom than he anticipated to get released. His arm swelled up at a stunning rate and he was in a near-incapacitating amount of pain.

So, uh, yeah, if you see one of these hornets in person, run away and call a local department of agriculture.

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‘Murder Hornets’ have arrived in the U.S. and everyone is fed up with 2020

2020 needs to be stopped.

2020 just keeps on getting worse and worse as the days go by.

Coronavirus came in and stole, basically, the rest of our year in March. Then, in April, the Pentagon declassified video of actual UFO’s. So now, not only are we stuck in isolation, but we’ve also got to prepare for the inevitable alien invasion coming in July.

But before we even get that far, May has given us Murder Hornets. Yes, that’s right. MURDER HORNETS. They’re native to Asia, but the deadly hornets have been discovered in the United States for the first time in 2020. And researchers are worried they’re already colonizing, the New York Times reports.

Yes, they are as frightening as the name sounds.  These hornets can wipe out entire colonies of bees within hours and have stingers that are long enough to penetrate beekeeping suits. 50 deaths per year in Japan are attributed to Murder Hornets.

This description has me ready to pack my bags, fam.

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.

Listen, man. We’ve got to get 2020 out of here. Just when you think it’s done, ya know, 2020’ing — here it comes with another disaster! The people are fed up.

In the meantime, we’re coping in the only way we know how. Twitter jokes!

2020, man. It just keeps coming. Please, make it stop. For all of our sakes.

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