Asian Giant Hornets, or as they have been nicknamed ‘murder hornets’, were found to have destroyed a beehive in Custer, Washington in November 2019, as reported by the New York Times on May 2nd. 

Since the news of their presence in America broke, Americans have become incredibly frightened and fascinated by these dangerous insects, scientifically known as a Vespa mandarinia. 

“I’m already afraid of bees as it is, so these murder hornets really are my worst nightmare,” commented Junior Gabriela Bernier. 

These hornets are the largest hornets in the world. The queens are able to grow to 2 inches with a half quarter-inch stinger, and the workers grow to nearly an inch and a half in size. The hornets have large biting mouthparts, which allow them to decapitate their victims and eat the larvae when they enter a beehive. 

In Japan, murder hornets kill approximately 30 to 50 people per year, mostly because of anaphylactic shock due to an allergy to their venom. When their venom enters the human body, it causes a host of problems such as the destruction of red blood cells and kidney damage, along with the extreme pain from their stings.

Luckily, the chances of coming into contact with one of these hornets are highly unlikely, as they will keep to themselves unless they are provoked. In fact, more people die from honey bee stings in the US than from ‘murder hornet’ stings globally.

These Asian Giant hornets are known to attack honey bee hives and rip their heads off in large numbers, concerning many beekeepers. Only a couple of hornets could ruin an entire hive in a few hours. 

However, evidence does not point towards a huge invasion that could endanger US crops and the North American honey bee industry. 

“With these deadly murder hornets and the coronavirus outbreak, 2020 has definitely started off rough, but we can all only hope for a happier ending half, ” said Junior Jack Ziegler.