The United States is on top of the list of countries with most coronavirus cases, but it seems like the country will be struck with another outbreak. For the first time, Asian giant hornets have been spotted in America, specifically in Washington state.
Beekeepers have reported hundreds of dead bees with their heads ripped off, which is an alarming sight in a country with a declining bee population.
The Asian giant hornets are more than two inches long and they are the world's largest hornets with a sting that can kill humans if stung multiple times. Becauqse of this, they are nicknamed "murder hornets" according to experts at the Washington State University.
Susan Cobey, a bee breeder at the Washington State University's department of entomology, said that Asian giant hornets are like out of a monster cartoon with a massive yellow-orange face.
How the giant hornets reached the US
Scientists are baffled by the sudden arrival of Asian giant hornets, and they have no clue how it ended up in Washington State. According to Seth Truscott from WSU's college of agricultural, human, and natural resource sciences, the hornets can be sometimes transported in international cargo.
According to the scientists, the giant hornets were first seen in Washington in December, and they believe that they are starting to become active again when the queens emerge from hibernation to build nests and form colonies. Truscott said that hornets are most destructive in the late summer and early fall when they are on the hunt for sources of protein for their next year's queen.
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Truscott added that hornets attack honey bee hives, they kill adult bees and they devour bee larvae and pupae, while aggressively defending the occupied colony. Hornet stings are massive and painful, with a potent neurotoxin. Multiple hornet stings can kill humans even if they are not allergic.
What to do when you spot a hornet?
According to Washington state agricultural officials, beekeepers and residents should report any sightings of the giant hornets. It is important not to get too close. The sting of a hornet can penetrate a regular beekeeper's suit, and state scientists had to order special reinforced suits.
Chris Looney, an entomologist from the state Department of Agriculture, said that people should not try to take the hornets out themselves. If hornets are spotted, run away, then call the department as they need to know every sighting for eradication purposes. Those in Skagit Island, Whatcom, San Juan, Clallam, and Jefferson counties should be extra vigilant.
Asian giant hornets target bees between late summer and the fall. According to the statement sent out by the Washington State Department of Agriculture, Asian giant hornets can be spotted from July through October, when colonies are established and the workers are out foraging.
State officials set up traps for the hornets and they also launched an app so that people can report sightings fast. It only takes a couple of hornets to destroy a hive within hours. Bees pollinate plants producing fruit, nuts, and vegetables and they are important to the country's food industry. Bees are already endangered lists because of their sharply declining numbers.
"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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