A pile of corpses, heads torn off. Babies consumed. You would think it’s a bad Halloween horror film, but it’s May. What’s happening?
Murder Hornets
That’s not a joke. While it’s not the “official” name of the species–which is Asian giant hornet–researchers have nicknamed these hornets “murder hornets” due to their violent stinging and group attacks. Yes, the scenario of headless corpses was real, but it was happening to common honeybees. And, while the Vespa mandarinia (the murder hornet’s Latin name) doesn’t usually attack things as large as humans or your outdoor pets, their venom is still toxic, and enough stings can kill you–even if you are not typically allergic to bees or wasps. (1, 2)
What Is Wrong With 2020?
It may seem unfair: we had the threat of nuclear war (3), Kobe Bryant died, COVID-19 struck the planet, and we won’t have Oprah in the White House anytime soon. Now murder hornets? But, this isn’t a 2020 problem–the Asian giant hornets were spotted in the United States for the first time in December 2019. The reason you’re just hearing about them now is because Vespa mandarinia don’t become active until around April. Until then, the queen of the colony hibernates. After? She starts building underground nests to house the colony.
Two sightings of Asian giant hornets were confirmed in Blaine, Washington. There were also two sightings in Custer, Washington, but those were unconfirmed–though probable.
Burning Metal Pain
Washington isn’t the only place to have murder hornet sightings. In November 2019, Conrad Bérubé, a Nanaimo, British Columbia entomologist, was hired to destroy a hive of the murder hornets living on Vancouver Island. Knowing that an ordinary beekeeping suit is not thick enough to prevent these hornets’ stings, he layered: shorts, sweatpants, then his bee suit. And though he did his best not to alert them, by the time Conrad Bérubé made it to the hive, the hornets were awake–and angry.
He was able to both destroy the nest and get samples of the hornets but was stung multiple times during the process. Despite all his precautions, it wasn’t enough to stop the hornets drawing blood. “It was like having red-hot thumbtacks being driven into my flesh,” he explains. It was also the worst hornet sting he’s ever experienced–despite being stung over a thousand times during his life. (1)
What’s The Big Deal?
Conrad Bérubé survived a whole hive of them, right? What are the chances they’ll swarm us all and kill us off?
There is, essentially, no chance of that happening–but that’s not the fear. Sure, your Twitter browsing might have made you think the danger is to humans, but it’s really to the honey bees. Honey bees, if you don’t know, help to fertilize not only flowers but fruits, such as apples. If hornets destroy too many colonies of bees? “Just like that, it’s forever different,” says Washington State University Extension invasive species specialist, Todd Murray. “It’s a health hazard, and more importantly, a significant predator of honey bees.” (1)
If You See A Murder Hornet. . .
Right now, Washington State has a variety of ways to make a report: call 1-800-443-6684, email pestprogram@agr.wa.gov, or go online at agr.wa.gov/hornets. (1)
