Shutterstock
2020 has been an absolutely abysmal year for everyone due to the global health crisis but to make matters worse we’re now we’re learning that deadly giant hornets from Asia that measure up to 2 inches long have been found for the first time in the United States.
Via NY Times.
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.
Researchers are determined to keep track down the hornets to keep in them in check or else they can decimate bee populations in the country.
Two of the predatory insects were discovered last fall in the northwest corner of Washington State, a few miles north of his property — the first sightings in the United States.
Scientists have since embarked on a full-scale hunt for the hornets, worried that the invaders could decimate bee populations in the United States and establish such a deep presence that all hope for eradication could be lost.
Considering everything we’re currently going through at the moment the Internet was not pleased to learn about the murder hornet.