Giant Murder Hornets Are Invading Washington (Sorry)
By Jessica Wick|Published May 06, 2020
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Jessica Wick
Author
Jessica Wick is a writer and travel enthusiast who loves exploring new places, meeting new people and, of course, beautiful Big Sky Country and every part of Washington State.
Unless you’ve been purposely avoiding the news entirely for the last few days, you’ve probably already heard the rather tragic news that, for the first time in history, huge angry murderous hornets have been spotted in the U.S. recently — and naturally, they’re hanging out here in Washington.
We’re not even going to pretend that this isn’t horrifying, especially when we’re all getting excited to go back outside after self-quarantining. However, unless you’re a honey bee in Northwest Washington, there’s probably no reason to panic (we hope).
This is the Asian Giant Hornet, which is typically found in East Asia, South Asia, and parts of the Russian Far East.
In early December of last year, a Blaine resident reported an unusually large hornet they found on their property. That same resident had spotted a similar hornet on a hummingbird feeder the day before.
Unfortunately, several more of these hornets have been spotted in the Blaine area, near the Canadian border, since the first discovery — and they seem to be coming out of hiding for spring.
It's unclear how Satan's insects made it to North America. While some speculate that they were brought here deliberately, it's also very possible that they simply on container ships carrying food and other goods. Either way, we are not thrilled.
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But it's not humans who have to worry. While a sting from a giant hornet is incredibly painful (and toxic if you get stung multiple times), it's not nearly as dangerous as it is to a honey bee.
It's honey bees who are the real target. These hornets have a voracious appetite for them, savagely decapitating the poor unsuspecting little bees and flying away with the thoraxes to feed their young. And if that thought isn't troubling enough, apparently their stingers are long enough to puncture a beekeeping suit, and the sting is excruciating.
Here's the good news: the giant hornets are not aggressive, and they're not typically interested in humans. It's also very unlikely that you'll encounter one, at least at this time.
Since they can be so detrimental to our bee population, the WSDA is setting traps in the Blaine area to catch the hornets and taking appropriate measures to exterminate them before they get to be a problem.
According to Washington’s health department, Washingtonians can take preventative measures by keeping food and drink covered or under screens and by disposing of food and drinks properly. While 2020 has had more than its share of plot twists, it appears that murderous hornets don’t have to be another one.
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