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posted by martyb on Sunday August 02 2020, @07:18AM   Printer-friendly
from the "sting"-operation dept.

'Murder hornet' trapped for the first time in Washington State:

Washington State has trapped its first Asian giant hornet, also known as a "murder hornet."

The insect, believed to be a worker hornet, was found in a Washington State Department of Agriculture trap near Birch Bay in Whatcom County on July 14, officials said Friday. It's the first giant hornet to be detected in a trap, rather than in the environment.

[...] "This is encouraging because it means we know that the traps work," Sven Spichiger, managing entomologist for the state department, said. "But it also means we have work to do."

[...] The insects can grow to at least 3.5 centimetres [~1.4 inches] in length, with a wingspan up to twice as long. They are the largest species of hornet in the world.

Along with their size, Asian giant hornets are also known to prey on honeybees and destroy their hives, leading to their "murder hornet" nickname, though they've also been linked to a few dozen human deaths each year.

The Department of Agriculture hopes to trap and tag the hornets and then follow them back to their nests which they would then destroy.


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  • (Score: 4, Informative) by Arik on Sunday August 02 2020, @01:40PM (3 children)

    by Arik (4543) on Sunday August 02 2020, @01:40PM (#1030246) Journal
    Japanese honey bees evolved with these things, and know how to defend themselves. When the first hornet scout appears, the bees will swarm her. She's many times their size and kills them easily, while they appear unable to harm her - but by sheer force of numbers they will kill her. They surround her and beat their wings as fast as they can, temporarily raising the temperature and the CO2 concentration above the levels the wasp can survive.

    Unfortunately, European honey bees don't know how to do this, so they just get slaughtered.
    --
    If laughter is the best medicine, who are the best doctors?
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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday August 02 2020, @02:06PM (2 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday August 02 2020, @02:06PM (#1030253)

    Murder Hornets vs Killer Bees.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday August 02 2020, @10:25PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Sunday August 02 2020, @10:25PM (#1030466)

      Like sending a mutalisk only for it to be defeated by kekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekeke

      Hmm, what sound (onomatopoeia) do bees make in Japan?

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday August 03 2020, @08:13AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Monday August 03 2020, @08:13AM (#1030651)

      Mod the parent up.

      Killer Bees vs Murder Hornets - that's a genuine pay-per-view event.

      Let's get ready to rumble.