Asian giant hornets

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Artemis
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Asian giant hornets

#1 Post by Artemis » Sun May 03, 2020 8:30 am

I'm already terrified of wasps and hornets , now these bastards... :scared:

https://www.ctvnews.ca/sci-tech/invasiv ... f5K2XeM9c8

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The Asian giant hornet, a two-inch menace that feasts on honeybees, has invaded Washington state. It might have migrated from Canada, where a colony was discovered nesting in the ground. (Jean-Francois Monier/AFP/Getty/CNN)
Just when you thought 2020 could not get any worse. Now we have giant hornets with freakish eyes and a venomous sting to add to this year's list of worries.

For the first time, Asian giant hornets have been spotted in the United States, specifically in Washington state, scientists say. Beekeepers have reported piles of dead bees with their heads ripped off, an alarming sight in a country with a rapidly declining bee population.

At more than two inches long, they're the world's largest hornets with a sting that can kill humans if bitten multiple times, according to experts at the Washington State University. Researches have nicknamed them "murder hornets."

"They're like something out of a monster cartoon with this huge yellow-orange face," Susan Cobey, a bee breeder at the Washington State University's department of entomology, said recently.

Scientists don't know how these giant hornets native to Asia ended up in Washington state.

They're sometimes transported in international cargo -- in some cases deliberately, said Seth Truscott with WSU's college of agricultural, human and natural resource sciences.

The giant hornet was first spotted in the state in December, and scientists believe it started becoming active again last month, when queens emerge from hibernation to build nests and form colonies.

"Hornets are most destructive in the late summer and early fall, when they are on the hunt for sources of protein to raise next year's queens," Truscott said on the WSU's Insider.

"They attack honey bee hives, killing adult bees and devouring bee larvae and pupae, while aggressively defending the occupied colony," he added. "Their stings are big and painful, with a potent neurotoxin. Multiple stings can kill humans, even if they are not allergic."

Washington state agricultural officials are asking beekeepers and residents to report any sightings of the giant hornets. But don't get too close. Its sting can penetrate a regular beekeeper's suit, and state scientists had to order special reinforced suits.

"Don't try to take them out yourself if you see them," said entomologist Chris Looney of the state Department of Agriculture. "If you get into them, run away, then call us! It is really important for us to know of every sighting, if we're going to have any hope of eradication."

State officials are asking people in Whatcom, Skagit, Island, San Juan, Jefferson and Clallam counties to be especially vigilant.

The giant hornets especially target bees between late summer and the fall.

"The most likely time to catch Asian giant hornets is from July through October -- when colonies are established and workers are out foraging," the Washington State Department of Agriculture said in a statement. "Traps can be hung as early as April if attempting to trap queens, but since there are significantly fewer queens than workers, catching a queen isn't very likely."

State officials set up traps and launched an app to quickly report sightings, saying just a few of the hornets can devastate a hive within hours.

Bees pollinate plants producing fruit, nuts and vegetables, and are crucial to the nation's food industry. Attack by the hornets risks decimating bees, which are already on endangered lists due to their sharply declining numbers.

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Hype
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Re: Asian giant hornets

#2 Post by Hype » Sun May 03, 2020 3:37 pm

might have migrated from Canada
They were already here, and I wasn't informed?! Oh god! What if they're already in my house!

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mockbee
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Re: Asian giant hornets

#3 Post by mockbee » Sun May 03, 2020 3:59 pm

Hype insolent about hornets....


:scared:

we should prepare to close/lock the windows and never go out again... :wavesad:

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Artemis
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Re: Asian giant hornets

#4 Post by Artemis » Mon May 04, 2020 3:33 pm

In addition to a mask, I''m going to have to start wearing some kind of protective suit, like a bullet proof vest but for the giant hornets. :lol:

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chaos
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Re: Asian giant hornets

#5 Post by chaos » Fri Jul 31, 2020 4:03 pm


https://komonews.com/news/local/first-m ... trap-found

First 'murder hornet' to be captured in Washington trap found
by KOMO News Staff Friday, July 31st 2020

OLYMPIA, Wash. (KOMO) — Entomologists with the state Department of Agriculture have trapped their first Asian giant hornet this month.

The hornet, also nicknamed a "murder hornet" due to their ruthless way of killing honeybees by decapitation, was trapped on or before July 14 near Birch Bay near the Canadian border and was identified on July 29 as the traps were processed.

Officials say it's the first such hornet to be found in a trap in Washington, as opposed to first five other sightings that were found in the wild.

Local officials held a news conference Friday to discuss the discovery of a murder hornet in a trap in Washington state. (KOMO)

“This is encouraging because it means we know that the traps work,” Sven Spichiger, managing entomologist for the department, said in a news release. “But it also means we have work to do."

Entomologists will now search for the live nests using infrared cameras and set more traps with the intention of trapping the hornets alive. That would allow them to tag the hornets and hopefully trace them back to their colonies where they could be eradicated.

"WSDA hopes to find and destroy the nest by mid-September before the colony would begin creating new reproducing queens and drones," officials wrote. "Until that time, the colony will only contain the queen and worker Asian giant hornets. Destroying the nest before new queens emerge and mate will prevent the spread of this invasive pest."

Officials say it's likely more of the hornets will be spotted in August and September. You can report sightings to agr.wa.gov/hornets.

Adults can be nearly two inches long, have a distinctly light-orange head with prominent black eyes, a black thorax and a black-and-yellow striped abdomen. Although it is not typically aggressive toward humans, the state Department of Agriculture says this monster hornet can inflict a powerful sting.

Asian giant hornets nest in the ground. They are typically dormant over the winter, and are most often seen from July through October. The first one in Washington was reported on Dec. 8 in Blaine.

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An Asian giant hornet trapped in Blaine, Wash. (center) compared to an earlier sample and a typical queen hornet. (Photo: Washington Department of Agriculture)



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FILE - This Dec. 30, 2019 photo provided by the Washington State Department of Agriculture shows a dead Asian giant hornet in a lab in Olympia, Wash. It is the world's largest hornet, a 2-inch long killer with an appetite for honey bees. Dubbed the "Murder Hornet" by some, the insect has a sting that could be fatal to some humans. (Karla Salp/Washington State Department of Agriculture via AP)

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