General Discussion
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Asian giant hornet (Vespa mandarinia) is the world's largest species of hornet. In December 2019, WSDA received and verified four reports of Asian giant hornet near Blaine and Bellingham. These are the first-ever sighting in the United States. Canada had also discovered Asian giant hornet in two locations in British Columbia in the fall of 2019.
Asian giant hornet attacks and destroys honeybee hives. A few hornets can destroy a hive in a matter of hours. 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. They also attack other insects but are not known to destroy entire populations of those insects.
While they do not generally attack people or pets, they can attack when threatened. Their stinger is longer than that of a honeybee and their venom is more toxic. They can also sting repeatedly.
https://agr.wa.gov/departments/insects-pests-and-weeds/insects/hornets
The Velveteen Ocelot
(115,806 posts)We've already got pestilence, locusts, volcanic eruption, radioactive forest fire, tornados, floods, hurricanes and Trump.
Hortensis
(58,785 posts)Oh, well. At least we're also got genetic engineering, which Noah didn't or he could have set sail with his family and some cell samples in a locker.
pnwest
(3,266 posts)pound with horror!
lettucebe
(2,336 posts)McCamy Taylor
(19,240 posts)and then track down their nests and exterminate the nest. You cannot put a tracker on a honey bee but these dudes are big enough that they can carry a tracker home with them. So do not despair. It should be possible to eliminate these bee killing mothers.
Bayard
(22,123 posts)But it didn't show the scale of just how HUGE they are! I am officially terrified.
zanana1
(6,124 posts)TheBlackAdder
(28,211 posts).
There are other wasps that attack honeybee hives, that are 50% larger than a honeybee.
.
LuckyCharms
(17,454 posts)thousands of feet into the air, to be brought back to their nest, which is normally found inside active volcanos.
There have been two documented cases of this.
These hornets are also known carriers of rabies.
And the clap.
packman
(16,296 posts)NotASurfer
(2,153 posts)Up to cat 2 winds
Cat 3 and up, it just smashes them through your windows and they are really pissed when they get smashed through windows
LuckyCharms
(17,454 posts)NotASurfer
(2,153 posts)Clearly these are not normal insects that merely splatter and die. The only thing they should fear is Hulk, because trying to sting Hulk jus makes Hulk smash
roamer65
(36,747 posts)rockfordfile
(8,704 posts)BruceWane
(345 posts)Obama, of course.
Tanuki
(14,920 posts)Stuart G
(38,439 posts)any ideas? Bats? Birds? etc?.. The stories don't say..do they?
maxrandb
(15,345 posts)Honeybees have adapted a defense. They form a ball of bees around the hornet, and the bees wing flapping greatly increases the temperature and CO2 level within the ball. This kills the giant wasp, and more importantly, prevent them from signaling their friends to come and wipe out the hive. It's actually pretty cool.
Just 40-60 of these things can completely destroy an entire hive of thousands of honeybees in about 20 minutes.
They can be over 2 inches long, fly at upwards of 25 MPH, and travel up to 60 miles in a day. Oh, they have a stinger that is 1/4 inches long.
They warned us about these when I was with the Navy in Japan. Like most wasps, they won't mess with you if you leave them alone, but if you disturb their nest, it's recommended you roll into the fetal position, put your head between your legs and KISS YOUR ASS GOODBYE!
Unless you can't run faster than 25MPH, I'd give these things a wide berth.