"Murder hornets" have arrived in the U.S.
"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.
In Japan, the hornets kill up to 50 people a year. Now, for the first time, they have arrived in the United States..."Details at The New York Times. Title quote from Dorothy Parker. Photo via Reddit.
And already we have the conspiracy theorists claiming that this is a government lie to keep us in lockdown...
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ReplyDeleteIt seems the Japanese honey bees are not going down without a fight; fascinating.
I live in Whatcom County. Very NW county on the mainland. One of these was caught just today a few miles from me. There are more, as I have personally seen one twice around my home. I thought they were Japanese Beetles, but they were not as wide. (I grew up in So. Calif. and saw those a lot as a kid.) Mean looking things.
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