from the If-you-can't-beat-them,-eat-them dept.
Murder hornet munchies: The horrifying insect makes a tasty treat:
News of insects nicknamed murder hornets invading the US might feel like the plot to a horror film, but maybe you'll feel better knowing the pests make for a tasty snack.
The Asian giant hornet (Vespa mandarinia) is described as 1.5 inches to 2 inches long with an orange-yellow head and black stripes on its abdomen. The stinger is long enough to poke through protective beekeeper suits, and kills up to 50 people a year in Japan alone.
Yes, the large hornets have been spotted in the Pacific Northwest, most notably Washington State, but that doesn't mean residents of the area are doomed. The Asian giant hornet is apparently considered a delicacy in its native Japan.
[...] While foodies in Japan might enjoy seeking out murder hornet nests for snacks and cocktails, it's worth noting that the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) doesn't advocate approaching these deadly pests, which were officially spotted in Washington in December.
The WSDA warns to "use extreme caution near Asian giant hornets. The stinger of the Asian giant hornet is longer than that of a honeybee and the venom is more toxic than any local bee or wasp. If you find a colony, do not attempt to remove or eradicate it. Report it to WSDA (or your local state's department of agriculture) immediately."
Previously:
Tracking the "Murder Hornet": a Deadly Pest Has Reached North America
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Tracking the 'Murder Hornet': A Deadly Pest Has Reached North America:
In his decades of beekeeping, Ted McFall had never seen anything like it.
As he pulled his truck up to check on a group of hives near Custer, Wash., in November, he could spot from the window a mess of bee carcasses on the ground. As he looked closer, he saw a pile of dead members of the colony in front of a hive and more carnage inside — thousands and thousands of bees with their heads torn from their bodies and no sign of a culprit.
"I couldn't wrap my head around what could have done that," Mr. McFall said.
Only later did he come to suspect that the killer was what some researchers simply call the "murder hornet."
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.
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday May 07 2020, @12:09PM (3 children)
Hmm, the average Japanese foodie has a power level high enough that these aren't a threat.
It sounds like Americans need a training montage to learn the secret of the relevant forbidden technique.
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday May 07 2020, @03:12PM
Chopsticks at the ready Daniel-san!
(Score: 2) by captain normal on Thursday May 07 2020, @05:34PM
Likely it could be Wasabi. Once you acquire a taste for Wasabi, you can eat just about anything.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wasabi [wikipedia.org]
"It is easier to fool someone than it is to convince them that they have been fooled" Mark Twain
(Score: 2) by Kalas on Friday May 08 2020, @09:04AM
Sure you could train to fight the hornets but what if they're not even using their final form?
(Score: 3, Funny) by RandomFactor on Thursday May 07 2020, @12:17PM
anyone checked the stats on Washington to see if they are suddenly observing quarantine better?
В «Правде» нет известий, в «Известиях» нет правды
(Score: 2) by bart on Thursday May 07 2020, @12:20PM (9 children)
We've met a few of these in nature, and though they are gigantic, they will leave you alone if you leave them alone!
There's nothing murderous in the encounter!
(Score: 5, Informative) by Azuma Hazuki on Thursday May 07 2020, @12:24PM (5 children)
Oosuzume-bachi kill around 50 people a year in Japan. Some animals don't follow the "leave me alone and I won't kill you horribly" rule.
I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...
(Score: 0, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday May 07 2020, @12:52PM (1 child)
let me guess, 50 Americans, right?
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Phoenix666 on Thursday May 07 2020, @01:09PM
No, Americans provide necessary comic relief for the Japanese.
Death-by-hornet is reserved for burakumin [wikipedia.org], hibakusha [wikipedia.org], non-conformists [masafumiotsuka.com], and people who blow their noses in public.
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Thursday May 07 2020, @01:19PM
Japanese foodies seek out murder hornet nests for snacks and cocktails, likely explaining the Oosuzume-bachi's bad attitude toward them.
Snacking on and making cocktails from their family members doesn't exactly qualify as leaving them alone.
Україна досі не є частиною Росії Слава Україні🌻 https://news.stanford.edu/2023/02/17/will-russia-ukraine-war-end
(Score: 2) by edIII on Thursday May 07 2020, @07:34PM
I keep hearing that the Asian Giant Hornet isn't the same species as the Japanese Giant Hornet. What's coming to America is the less deadlier species from Asia, not Japan.
Technically, lunchtime is at any moment. It's just a wave function.
(Score: 2) by krishnoid on Thursday May 07 2020, @08:25PM
It was probably unintentional, but did you really need to bring up the stinger control [youtube.com] debate here?
(Score: 2) by richtopia on Thursday May 07 2020, @03:12PM (2 children)
They will clear out a hive of European honeybees. Still pretty bad in my book, considering how dependent the US agriculture is on the honeybee.
I wonder if I could start a beehive of Japanese honeybees. I don't see much of an alternative if these wasps become established.
(Score: 3, Informative) by SpockLogic on Thursday May 07 2020, @03:59PM (1 child)
Japanese Honeybees have a devilish defense method, they cook the invaders alive.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6m40W1s0Wc [youtube.com]
Overreacting is one thing, sticking your head up your ass hoping the problem goes away is another - edIII
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday May 07 2020, @04:22PM
Jesus who the hell made that clip - they think fighting bees needs jazzing up with epilepsy-inducing visual effects and music.
https://youtu.be/K6m40W1s0Wc?t=179>
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday May 07 2020, @03:48PM (1 child)
Tarantula hawks (worlds most painful sting) will paralyze the slanty eyed hornets, lay eggs in them, and eat them from the inside out while still alive.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday May 07 2020, @10:07PM
There's a video going around that shows a Preying Mantis putting a Murder Hornet in a bear hug and then eating out the Hornet brain. Graphic. Very satisfying to watch the large Hornet stinger wriggle around but never get close to the Mantis.
Turns out N. America has a natural predator for this particular alien. Now I can sleep easy!
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Thursday May 07 2020, @04:08PM
Compare with the Demon Locusts in Revelation 9:1-11. [biblegateway.com]
That will be something to tweet about.
Would a Dyson sphere [soylentnews.org] actually work?
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday May 07 2020, @04:39PM (1 child)
I've had the larvae before. Absolutely delicious. We got rid of the big guys by smoking them out and then grabbed the nest and BBQ'd the larvae. Looked really unappetizing but had an absolutely incredible smokey meaty flavor. Highly recommended.
WSDA just wants all the tasties for themselves!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday May 07 2020, @04:54PM
You're a monster. But an apparently very useful monster, so more power (and larvae meals) to you.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday May 07 2020, @04:59PM (3 children)
I've been running into reports of these murder hornets all week, and worse the pictures. I'm allergic to most bees/hornets/wasps and just their pictures give me the willies. The pictures of this damned thing from hell have kept me from sleeping much during the entire week.
I propose we immediately nuke the state of Washington. We must destroy the beachhead these monsters have gained on our once peaceful shores. Who the hell likes Seattle anyway?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday May 07 2020, @10:09PM (2 children)
See note in another thread, Preying Mantis feeds on Murder Hornet brain. You are safe (at least it looks that way to me).
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 08 2020, @12:04AM (1 child)
Let's nuke Washington anyhow, just to be safe.
(Score: 1) by RandomFactor on Friday May 08 2020, @10:40PM
Different Washington.
В «Правде» нет известий, в «Известиях» нет правды