It has already been an incredibly rough couple of months for 2020. Now after the Coronavirus pandemic has started, it seems a new invasive life form has taken root in the US. This time, however, it isn’t a virus – but much rather a species of Asian hornet that’s been dubbed “murder hornets.” It’s definitely as bad as it sounds, too.
The murder hornets became a topic of discussion when beekeeper Ted McFall found more than thousands of decapitated bees in Blaine, Washington. After some research, McFall came to the conclusion that the culprits were most likely in fact the Asian murder hornets, two of which had previously been sighted in the area. And as mentioned above, they’re definitely as bad as they sound.
Here’s a brief description via The New York Times:
“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.”
A new threat reaches the United States: A massive hornet with mandibles that rip bees to shreds and a stinger so potent that one unfortunate victim likened it to “having red-hot thumbtacks being driven into my flesh.”https://t.co/miU3QLGCF9
— Mike Baker (@ByMikeBaker) May 2, 2020
As you can tell, they definitely have the potential to become a massive threat to the US’s bee population. And not only that, but to the human population as well. It appears that Japan has reported that 50 people die each year from the hornets.
Hopefully scientists can successfully track down the hornets and wipe them out before they can spread.
As stated by entomologist Chris Looney:
“This is our window to keep it from establishing,” he said. “If we can’t do it in the next couple of years, it probably can’t be done.”
At a time when 2020 continues to become an unfortunate year to remember, it seems that the inclusion of murder hornets can now be added to the list.