Posted on 06/17/2021 11:13:11 AM PDT by Red Badger
SPOKANE, Wash. -- Scientists have found a dead Asian giant hornet north of Seattle, the first so-called murder hornet discovered in the country this year, federal and state investigators said Wednesday.
Entomologists from the state and U.S. Agriculture departments said it's the first confirmed report from Snohomish County, north of Seattle, and appears to be unrelated to the 2019 and 2020 findings of the hornets in Canada and Whatcom County, along the Canadian border, that gained widespread attention.
The 2-inch-long (5-centimeter-long) invasive insects, first found near the U.S.-Canadian border in December 2019, are native to Asia and pose a threat to honeybees and native hornet species. While not particularly aggressive toward humans, their sting is extremely painful and repeated stings, though rare, can kill.
The world’s largest hornet is much more of a threat to honeybees that are relied on to pollinate crops. They attack hives, destroying them in mere hours and decapitating bees in what scientists call their “slaughter phase.” How they got here from Asia is unclear, although it is suspected they travel on cargo ships.
“Hitchhikers are a side effect of all the commerce we do globally,” said Sven Spichiger, an entomologist with the state Agriculture Department who is leading the fight to eradicate the hornets.
In the latest sighting, a resident found the dead hornet on his lawn near the city of Marysville and reported it June 4 to the state agency. Entomologists retrieved it June 8, reporting that it was very dried out and a male hornet.
(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.go.com ...
Goodness me! Is this the one with the assault stinger?
Yep!...................
they are called Murder Hornets because they decapitate good bees and decimate the colonies
Mix them with chicadas and serve them on pizza.
Murder hornets are black, have pistol grips and flash hiders. In Texas they are extremely useful in eradicating wild hogs.
Oh great!
Now they’re gonna lock us down again and make us wear hornet-proof suits to go outdoors. Is there a vaccine for these yet?
It was murdered by the Nova.
I wonder what it knew about the Clintons
Break out the dung!
Coming next month:
Chainsaw bears! Their hands are chainsaws!
And how much toilet paper should we buy?
THEM!!
They don’t really need chainsaws!
An adult bear can rip the entire door off of an automobile like it was made of tin foil!...................
ISWYDT........................
Shouldn’t that be “THOSE!!” ?...................
Yes, but the chainsaws make them look and sound even scarier!
Grammatically yes. But I was being a bit... cheeky and referencing an old 1950’s sci-fi movie about giant ants titled “THEM!!’’
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