‘Murder hornets’ found in U.S. for first time ever

[ChristineM]

I made this post this morning in
Americans' measured response to the next crisis

Considering the flippant response of some posters on here i think it worth posting on this thread too.

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Asian hornets have been invading europe since 2004. If seen they should be avoided and must be reported. A specialist squad is sent to destroy the hornets and their nest.

Although a single sting to a human is (ordinarily) not fatal their sting releases a pheromone that attracts others to sting. Mass stinging or anaphylactic shock can kill

This French newspaper article (in English) provides information on how to check for, and behave in, the presence of asian hornets

https://www.thelocal.fr/20180919/asian-hornets-claim-another-victim-in-france

 

[ChristineM]

As big as they are, I don't see how they would be a threat to the honeybee. The man made hives leave a small opening for the bees to enter which it seems to me, this hornet could not enter.

They don't enter the hive, they hover outside waiting for a bee to emerge then rip its head off?

 

[oldbadger]

I'm only 42. But Hexham is the first pit stop on the 6 hour drive between my parents' old house and my Grandmother's. I must have stopped at the burger place across the road from that sign 50 times. FYI, the bowls club is pretty central to Australian life, just about every small town has one. They're commonly the only large venue available to people, so they are the scene of a LOT of wedding receptions and 21sts.

I guessed you were younger, but still reckon you fancy the older girls!
Well, you taught me something about Oz life.
My Paternal Grandmother was Half Oz Half Kiwi (!!) and kept on about life at the tennis club so I thought that was the game in Oz ..... maybe in Kiwi land?

I have often thought about joining a bowls club..... but never did.

 

[Good-Ole-Rebel]

They don't enter the hive, they hover outside waiting for a bee to emerge then rip its head off?

Well, like I said, there isn't going to be one bee when that happens. There better be thousands of hornets as there will be thousands of bees. And they are always flying around the hive. When any other wasp or hornet lands, they are on him.

I'm not saying I don't believe the account given in Washington. I just have a hard time seeing it. And, really would like to see the encounter with the killer bees.

Good-Ole-Rebel

 

[MNoBody]

I will ask the bee guy who keeps hives here what he thinks about it.
[hmmm....a reason to be thankful for the freezing cold as they haven't made any beach-heads this far north......
yet]

 

[ChristineM]

Well, like I said, there isn't going to be one bee when that happens. There better be thousands of hornets as there will be thousands of bees. And they are always flying around the hive. When any other wasp or hornet lands, they are on him.

I'm not saying I don't believe the account given in Washington. I just have a hard time seeing it. And, really would like to see the encounter with the killer bees.

Good-Ole-Rebel

As you said earlier, small hole, thousands of bees don't fit through a small hole at the same time.

We have had Asian hornets in france for 16 years, believe me they are bad, they kill not only bees but humans too

 

[MNoBody]

apparently the bees stand little chance against these guys
one hornet can devastate a large number of bees
and they gang up too, like predatory vampires in the movies that enjoy a good slaughter, they revel in it and seek it out
so bizarre to see such a homicidal delight in a species, disturbing as well.

 

[Father Heathen]

 

[Father Heathen]

Well, like I said, there isn't going to be one bee when that happens. There better be thousands of hornets as there will be thousands of bees. And they are always flying around the hive. When any other wasp or hornet lands, they are on him.

I'm not saying I don't believe the account given in Washington. I just have a hard time seeing it. And, really would like to see the encounter with the killer bees.

Good-Ole-Rebel

What makes you think the "killer" variety has a better chance against hornets?

 

[Shad]

That is a big worry, honey is vital for the future of the planet. Such great healing properties.

Regards Tony

Bees are important for our food supply crops as a transportation method for pollenization. No pollenization in some crops means no harvestable food for humans. Bee populations have been threatened in a lot of areas due to predators and other issues. The OP is just a new threat added to the list. Honey itself as a food is very minor compared to the bee species we need for pollenization.

 

[Kangaroo Feathers]

giant monsters that show up and just kill everyone... that's some alien **** right there

 

[Rational Agnostic]

It's less about honey being vital than it is the necessity for bees to pollinate. Without bees, plants will go extinct beginning a chain reaction of the systematic elimination the planet's food supply.

False. Honeybees account for around 14% of pollination, with hoverflies, butterflies, and even birds and bats also serving as pollinators. So, even in the extremely unlikely event that bees go instinct, all plants will NOT go extinct.

Are bees responsible for 70-90% of global food? - Learn from Francisco Sanchez-Bayo, an expert in Toxicology , Ecology

 

[SalixIncendium]

False. Honeybees account for around 14% of pollination, with hoverflies, butterflies, and even birds and bats also serving as pollinators. So, even in the extremely unlikely event that bees go instinct, all plants will NOT go extinct.

Are bees responsible for 70-90% of global food? - Learn from Francisco Sanchez-Bayo, an expert in Toxicology , Ecology

Reread my post. I never said ‘all.’

 

[The Hammer]

Hey you guys in the States. What gives?

And just when things were going so well.

Asian giant hornets, known by some researchers as “murder hornets,” have been spotted in the US for the first time ever, the New York Times reported.

The murder hornets, which can grow up to two inches long, didn’t get their name from murdering people, but instead from their brutal decapitations of honeybees.

Scientists in Washington first spotted the hornets back in December, according to the Washington State Department of Agriculture. The murderous insects were also seen north of the border in British Columbia.

While the hornets usually stick to murdering bees, they can kill up to 50 people a year in Japan, according to the Times. Their stingers are longer than a run-of-the-mill honeybee’s.

“A few hornets can destroy a hive in a matter of hours, according to the WSDA. “The hornets enter a ‘slaughter phase’ where they kill bees by decapitating them. They then defend the hive as their own, taking the brood to feed their own young.”


Multiple beehives in Washington were wiped out by the murder hornets, the Times reported.

With bees already dying at an alarming rate, the Asian giant hornets could put an even deeper sting in the American honey industry. A similar hornet invasion in Europe dropped honey production by more than 60%, Time reported.


‘Murder hornets’ found in U.S. for first time ever

These Japanese Giant hornets are crazy, they kill 50 people a year in Japan and now they are in my state of WA. Yup, I'm out. Our honey beehives don't have the defenses themat Japanese honeybees have against these hornets either. They will devastate the local gives.

 

[Twilight Hue]

I can't wait till they choose a killer bee hive to attack. I hope someone has a video of that.

As big as they are, I don't see how they would be a threat to the honeybee. The man made hives leave a small opening for the bees to enter which it seems to me, this hornet could not enter. And as soon as he tried thousands of bees are on him.

Fire ants are a real problem to the honeybee as they are small and can enter the hive and the honeybee cannot stop them.

I'm sure this hornet can kill a bee. But he is not going up against one bee.

Everything that comes here will produce an enemy. The fireant population exploded here years ago. But then they developed enemies also and so they are not as bad as they were.

I think this hornet is just something else to add to the list of what bites, stings, or itches.

Good-Ole-Rebel

The worst thing that happens to honey bees are American and European foulbrood and mites which pretty much decimates the colony. If those are detected , the entire hive must be destroyed by law.

 

[Twilight Hue]

These Japanese Giant hornets are crazy, they kill 50 people a year in Japan and now they are in my state of WA. Yup, I'm out. Our honey beehives don't have the defenses themat Japanese honeybees have against these hornets either. They will devastate the local gives.

Some honeybees have a unique defense against the Asian hornets. Usually it starts with a scout and if the bees can kill the scout, they will be safe from the rest of the hornets.

What happens is the mass of bees gather completely around the hornet and essentially cook it to death with their body heat as a bee's internal temperature is higher than the hornets.

I think an answer would be breeding honey bees with those instinctive qualities.

 

[Twilight Hue]

Just made me think of an idea for a horror movie: The Birds and the Bees.

The plot would be a variation of Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds, where wild flocks of birds go crazy, but including a scenario with Killer Bees and Murder Hornets running amok as well.

I can picture the National Guard with big cans of Raid.

 

[The Hammer]

Some honeybees have a unique defense against the Asian hornets. Usually it starts with a scout and if the bees can kill the scout, they will be safe from the rest of the hornets.

What happens is the mass of bees gather completely around the hornet and essentially cook it to death with their body heat as a bee's internal temperature is higher than the hornets.

I think an answer would be breeding honey bees with those instinctive qualities.

That's what I meant about American honeybess not having a defense. The Asian honey bees do the best coccooning thing to kill them via heat. If we could breed that ability into our honeybees it would give us an edge. But we would need to act fairly soon, I would think.

 

[Stevicus]

Where's Godzilla when you need him?

Those hornets look bad.

 

[Stevicus]

I can picture the National Guard with big cans of Raid.

Or maybe something like John Goodman's character in Arachnophobia.

This is what our future looks like. We'll all be in suits similar to this, except with masks and protection from viruses as well. We'll have spray guns for disinfecting and bug-killing.