Murder Hornets Are Invading The US

Murder Hornets are giants of their species, 2 inches long. They originated in Japan, but as of December, they have begun to make their way into the US. They don’t typically attack people, but when they do sting, they have the potential to kill, hence the name “murder hornet.” In Japan, they kill an average of 50 people per year, mostly when people disturb them. They really don’t like to be disturbed.

Another concern is that they brutally murder honeybees by decapitating adults and eating their young. Bees pollinate 80% of our plants, amounting to third of the food we eat. Without bees we would go hungry. Just a few murder hornets can slaughter an entire bee hive in minutes. Japanese honeybee populations have evolved a protective response, swarming together to accumulate enough heat to kill the hornets. Honeybees in America have no such behaviors and are practically defenseless against them.

Today the US murder hornet population is small and limited to the Northwest. Scientists and naturists are attempting to tackle the daunting task of finding and eliminating them in the extensive wooded habitats where they reside. But with a sting that can kill you and a queen that can travel 20 miles per hour, it is going to be difficult to even find them.

Chris Looney, a Washington State entomologist, says they are planning to set more traps in the coming months to catch them. And since the bees have an average temperature of 86 degrees, they will also be using tracking techniques to find any thermodynamic irregularities in the areas they are searching. If they manage to catch any hornets in the traps, they plan to attach trackers that can lead them to the hornets’ nests. The goal is to completely exterminate the alien invasion. We should hope Dr. Looney’s plans work because the last thing America needs in the middle of a pandemic is a band of murderous hornets.