Giant Asian Hornets aka "Murder Hornets" Now in North America

[Joey D]

In the interest of not clogging up the America thread and because this could very well be a legitimate threat, I figured a thread was in order.

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Giant Asian Hornets (Vespa mandarinia aka Murder Hornets) have made it to North America's shores, in particular, Washington and British Columbia according to the New York Times.

What are Giant Asian Hornets?
They are the biggest, baddest, hornets around. Primarily they are native to East and Southeast Asia, but are also found in India and Eastern Russia. They seem to be the most common in Japan.

How big?
They can grow to around two-inches with a three-inch wingspan and have a stinger that's around .25 inches long. If that wasn't bad enough, these dudes can fly upwards of 25 mph.

So why "Murder Hornets"?
They are deadly and can kill a human with enough stings. The venom from the Giant Asian Hornet is some seven times more potent than a standard honey bee. They are also capable of delivering several stings in one attack. Masato Ono, an entomologist at Tamagawa University, describes the sting "like a hot nail through my leg."

Upwards of 50 people are killed by Giant Asian Hornets per year in Japan, although that number is typically lower. Still, in 2013, 41 people died in Shaanxi Province, China thanks to these buggers. Those who did die suffered nearly 60 stings from the insects which sounds like a really unpleasant way to go. During the same year in the same province, 1,400 people were injured due to the bees with an average sting rate of around 30.

They also wreck bee colonies and particularly enjoy ripping the heads off honey bees.

Why aren't the Giant Asian Hornets a problem in Asia?
Thanks to evolution, the Japanese Honey Bee defend themselves by creating a bee ball around the hornets. This heats up the hornets to over 115 degrees and effectively cooks them. Unfortunately, American honey bees don't have this evolutionary trait which is why it makes the hornets so problematic.

So, are we boned?
Not yet, but we very well could be if the Giant Asian Hornets establish enough colonies and start spreading across the US. Honey bees account for roughly 80% of all pollination in the US and are already facing a massive decline thanks to pesticides. The Giant Asian Hornets could easily be a catalyst that pushes honey bees to die off at a more rapid rate. This means food production could get sketchy as we figure out another way to pollinate crops. Wild plants would face an even harder time since I can't foresee humans doing much to save those when our food supply is being threatened.

Thankfully, there are already people working to eradicate the invasive species and hopefully, they can contain the hornets before they migrate.

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There are a couple of things we don't know. One is how did the hornets get here in the first place. Chances are they hitched a ride on a cargo ship coming from China into Washington, but it's hard to say. We also don't know how the bees would fair in the climate of the US. Their current patterns suggest they like low hills and forested areas near mountains while avoiding open plains. But no one really knows what will happen if the bees spread. Unfortunately, many of our crops come from California and forested areas near mountains pretty much describes the entire state.

 

[Liquid]

CTRL + V:

Regarding the Asian giant hornets that have touched land in Washington state, there is a finite window where they can be contained, captured and extirpated.

I hope you use that time wisely. After that, it will be impossible to stop them.

Regarding Japanese bees swarming the hornets, causing death by overheating

It is also possible for the giant hornet to overcome thousands of bees; 30 hornets can tackle and kill 3,000 bees. However, based off the video posted above, I can't be sure if only the females are able to do that.

Although they have pincers, males do not have stingers and the scouts could very well be males incapable of prolonged combat. The female is by far the dominant of the species with their unbelievable size and powerful stinger and unlike the layman's view of hymanoptera, the Asian giant hornet stinger can be used multiple times.

Edit: I know it wasn't a serious suggestion but importation of something else to tackle the hornets is a very fast slope towards 1920s Australia approach to ecological "conservation".

 

[TexRex]

Yeah, bringing in non-natives isn't wise as they are unlikely to encounter predators themselves.

...

We really need some good recipes so that people will want to eat the suckers. What do you suppose pairs well with a hornet tartare? Mead?

/s

 

[Grand Prix]

There are a couple of things we don't know. One is how did the hornets get here in the first place. Chances are they hitched a ride on a cargo ship coming from China into Washington, but it's hard to say. We also don't know how the bees would fair in the climate of the US. Their current patterns suggest they like low hills and forested areas near mountains while avoiding open plains. But no one really knows what will happen if the bees spread. Unfortunately, many of our crops come from California and forested areas near mountains pretty much describes the entire state.

What I'm wondering is, how did they end up on Vancouver Island? A ferry from Washington, maybe?

 

[Leo Thorne]

If 2020 couldn’t get any worse...

 

[zzz_pt]

Googled their size to have a better idea. They're T H I C C.

 

[Joey D]

We really need some good recipes so that people will want to eat the suckers. What do you suppose pairs well with a hornet tartare? Mead?

I mean you say that but...
https://www.pennlive.com/daily-buzz/2020/05/murder-hornets-they-cant-kill-you-if-you-eat-them-first-and-they-are-pretty-tasty-report.htm

That’s right.

You can eat those suckers.

According to the story, the hornets are enjoyed as tasty treats and even used as ingredients for “invigorating” drinks. They are, reportedly, preserved in jars, pan-fried, or steamed with rice. The large adults can be fried on skewers, according to The Times, and can leave “a warming, tingling sensation when eaten.”

And, move aside worm in a tequila bottle, the hornets are apparently drowned live in liquor over in Japan which, according to the story, prompts them to release their venom into the beverage.

What I'm wondering is, how did they end up on Vancouver Island? A ferry from Washington, maybe?

That seems likely since the hornets were found around the town of Nanaimo, which is a ferry landing. The hornets found on the mainland were around White Rock, which is just around the bay from the ferry landing in Tsawwassen. The hornets found in Washington were around Blaine, which is just over the border from White Rock.

I can't imagine being on a boat though and seeing these dude flying around. I'd hunker down in my car for sure.

 

[Liquid]

Eating more insects is one of the futures of food production so it's not a crazy idea, as unpalletable as it is.

 

[Famine]

Nanaimo ... Tsawwassen

Somebody fell asleep on their keyboard.

So these things are found in China and Japan. Two places that (by official numbers) got their coronavirus outbreaks under control pretty effectively. Perhaps murder hornet stings cure COVID... I really hope someone suggests that to Donald.

 

[Joey D]

Eating more insects is one of the futures of food production so it's not a crazy idea, as unpalletable as it is.

I eat protein bars made from cricket flour and they're pretty good. It took a hot second to get over the fact I was eating crickets, but once you realize there's no difference between eating ground-up crickets and wheat flour, it's fine.

Somebody fell asleep on their keyboard.

So these things are found in China and Japan. Two places that (by official numbers) got their coronavirus outbreaks under control pretty effectively. Perhaps murder hornet stings cure COVID... I really hope someone suggests that to Donald.

Careful, with statements like that you'll be asked to replace Dr. Fauci.

 

[TexRex]

I mean you say that but...
https://www.pennlive.com/daily-buzz/2020/05/murder-hornets-they-cant-kill-you-if-you-eat-them-first-and-they-are-pretty-tasty-report.htm

There's a very satisfying symmetry in the use of "suckers" both in my post and in the highlighted portion of the article.

I'm a proponent of invasivorism. I don't necessarily believe that it's enough in and of itself (I just don't know that data supports the notion), but I think it can bolster conservation efforts, particularly when there may be ethical concerns from people who perhaps aren't vegetarian but who oppose eradication of a species population in an area. But then invasivorism isn't limited to critters; consider the kudzu.

Something that may be overlooked with invasivorism is the emphasis on conservation efforts, making it known that the aim is to control a species that has overrun a region due to a lack of natural control. There's potential for demand for a particular species to the detriment of a region because its population hasn't actually been controlled. Nutria became an issue because they were desired for their fur.

there's no difference between eating ground-up crickets and wheat flour

Tell that to the crickets.

 

[Grand Prix]

That seems likely since the hornets were found around the town of Nanaimo, which is a ferry landing. The hornets found on the mainland were around White Rock, which is just around the bay from the ferry landing in Tsawwassen. The hornets found in Washington were around Blaine, which is just over the border from White Rock.

I can't imagine being on a boat though and seeing these dude flying around. I'd hunker down in my car for sure.

That would make sense. I guess I won't be visiting my brother in Tsawwassen anytime soon.

My concern then, would be how long they have been here without detection, to manage to get enough of them in Nanaimo and establish a colony (or perhaps colonies) there.

Somebody fell asleep on their keyboard.

What, you've never had a Nanaimo bar before?

 

[TexRex]

What, you've never had a Nanaimo bar before?

*googles*

What?! No maple syrup?

Tell me you at least stamp "Soory" on the bottom.

 

[Grand Prix]

*googles*

What?! No maple syrup?

Tell me you at least stamp "Soory" on the bottom.

Sorry, most of them probably do not.

 

[Blitz24]

Sorry, most of them probably do not.

"Sorry, not Soory."

 

[Grand Prix]

Just realized there is also a ferry connection from Horseshoe Bay / West Vancouver to Nanaimo. Might be worth looking in that area for Giant Hornets as well. Wouldn't surprise me if some wealthy resident in West Vancouver had imported them in.

 

[Mr P]

Sorry this thread makes me remember this crazy dudes hilarious solution to his guttering being taken over by wasps... It's a bit of a build up but he gets rid of the problem one way or another



Those Asian Hornets are bloody huge though!

 

[TexRex]

Horsehoe Bay

Is this a typo? If it isn't, I have some followup questions.

 

[Grand Prix]

Is this a typo? If it isn't, I have some followup questions.

My bad, yes it was a typo.

 

[Daz555]

CTRL + V:

Regarding the Asian giant hornets that have touched land in Washington state, there is a finite window where they can be contained, captured and extirpated.

I hope you use that time wisely. After that, it will be impossible to stop them.
.

We've pretty much shut it down coming in from Asia. It's going to be fine. They are going to disappear. One day it's like a miracle, they will disappear.
Also, our numbers are going down, not up. I think we are doing a really good job in this country in keeping them down. They will go away. Stay calm. They will go away.

 

[Joey D]

In addition to decapitating and munching on honey bees, the Giant Asian Hornets could also bring with them a particular parasite called a Tropilaelaps mite. Apparently this could be even more devastating to a bee colony than the hornets themselves according to Scientific American:

The hornet is also a reminder that an even more worrisome predator lurks in Asia: the Tropilaelaps mite, which lives in the hive and kills some of the bee larvae and weakens or deforms others that reach adulthood. In Asia, which has both varroa and Tropilaelaps mites, the latter is more feared. That mite is not yet in North America. “Tropilaelaps is a much greater threat [than V. mandarinia], partly because it’s harder to keep out of a nest,” says Danielle Downey, executive director of the nonprofit Project Apis m. Pettis agrees.

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Also, check out the size comparison with these dudes.

 

[Liquid]

Giant hornets are scarily big for a big wuss like me.

Buy yourself a Victorian diving suit. It's the only way to feel safe.

 

[Pupik]

Giant Asian Hornets (Vespa mandarinia)

Attack of the Orange Vespas! ...fair to say I never saw that demise coming.

Perhaps there's a bird that likes to snack on these things, although I'd guess a hornet or bee would out-maneuver most birds in predatory combat. Hummingbirds might fare better.

 

[Joey D]

erhaps there's a bird that likes to snack on these things

Apparently Praying Mantis like to snack on these things:

[Warning] Contains brutal bug on bug violence

 

[Carbonox]

Attack of the Orange Vespas! ...fair to say I never saw that demise coming.

Perhaps there's a bird that likes to snack on these things, although I'd guess a hornet or bee would out-maneuver most birds in predatory combat. Hummingbirds might fare better.

The European bee eater's diet seems to consist nearly entirely of these stinging insects. No idea how good they're at hunting a meal this big, though.

 

[TexRex]

Attack of the Orange Vespas! ...fair to say I never saw that demise coming.

I'd give it an extra hard think before sharing banking information with Sphex ichneumoneus.

 

[ROAD_DOGG33J]

Gypsy moths have also made it to Washington.

https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/07/us/washington-state-gypsy-moths-proclamation-trnd/index.html

"Large (Asian gypsy moth) infestations can completely defoliate trees," according to the US Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. "This defoliation can severely weaken trees and shrubs, making them more susceptible to disease. Repeated defoliation can lead to the death of large sections of forests, orchards and landscaping."

Females can lay hundreds of eggs, according to the agency, which become caterpillars and munch through more than 500 different tree and shrub species.
And because the moths can fly long distances, it's likely they can quickly spread throughout the country, the agency said.

What's next?

 

[Liquid]

For someone so keen to stop foreigners invading the USA, Trump has done a terrible job.

10 quid says they get called Chinese hornets at some point.

 

[ROAD_DOGG33J]

For someone so keen to stop foreigners invading the USA, Trump has done a terrible job.

10 quid says they get called Chinese hornets at some point.

Maybe we can build a wall along the perimeter?

 

[TexRex]

Maybe we can build a wall along the perimeter?

"They're rapists. And some, I assume, are good hornets."