# Invasive species: Giant hornets in Washington state, British Columbia
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/invasive-species-giant-hornets-in-washington-state-british-columbia/853181
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [May 5, 2020, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/invasive-species-giant-hornets-in-washington-state-british-columbia/853181 "2020-05-05T14:52:23Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)
#### Post date: [May 5, 2020, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/invasive-species-giant-hornets-in-washington-state-british-columbia/853181/1 "2020-05-05T14:52:23Z")
The media has been reporting of late using the rather sensationalist term [“murder hornet” for these critters](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/02/us/asian-giant-hornet-washington.html): The Asian giant hornet (_Vespa mandarinia_) has arrived in the Pacific Northwest (believed to be either a stowaway on a ship, or someone having deliberately brought it in.) Not only do they pack a vicious sting (they kill up to 50 people in Japan every year, per the NYT article - and also once [killed 42 and wounded 1,600 in China seven years ago](https://www.cnn.com/2013/10/03/world/asia/hornet-attack-china/index.html)), but they are also known to massacre [entire bee hives within hours](https://www.sciencealert.com/this-is-a-murder-hornet-and-it-s-currently-taking-over-the-us). This is bad news when the North American bee population has already been reeling from various ailments, which then in turn means bad news for food crop pollination.
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### Author:  [@MikeF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeF)
#### Post date: [May 5, 2020, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/invasive-species-giant-hornets-in-washington-state-british-columbia/853181/2 "2020-05-05T15:03:58Z")
I’ve seen FB posts with people claiming to have seen them all over the country. I think most have actually seen Cicada Killers. They are pretty common and, from what I hear, their sting is relatively mild.
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### Author:  [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)
#### Post date: [May 5, 2020, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/invasive-species-giant-hornets-in-washington-state-british-columbia/853181/3 "2020-05-05T15:18:05Z")
> [@MikeF](#):
>
> I think most have actually seen Cicada Killers. They are pretty common and, from what I hear, their sting is relatively mild.
They are not the same insect though.
> **[While the ‘murder hornet’ is not in Pa., you could come across a giant wasp](https://www.pennlive.com/life/2020/05/murder-hornet-is-not-in-pa-but-a-giant-wasp-does-live-here.html)**
>
> The Asian giant hornet's discovery in the western U.S. has beekeepers worried. The cicada killer may grow just as large, but is not an agricultural threat.
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### Author:  [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)
#### Post date: [May 5, 2020, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/invasive-species-giant-hornets-in-washington-state-british-columbia/853181/4 "2020-05-05T15:19:03Z")
> [@Velocity](#):
>
> This is bad news when the North American bee population has already been reeling from various ailments, which then in turn means bad news for food crop pollination.
[Here’s a video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZ1eAM8CChc) from eight years ago that shows 30 giant hornets killing 30,000 honeybees.
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### Author:  [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)
#### Post date: [May 5, 2020, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/invasive-species-giant-hornets-in-washington-state-british-columbia/853181/5 "2020-05-05T17:30:00Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#):
>
> [Here’s a video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZ1eAM8CChc) from eight years ago that shows 30 giant hornets killing 30,000 honeybees.
Given the many camera angles (including the moving one) I suspect the bees were set up.
ETA: Not to downplay the seriousness of the hornet threat.
.
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### Author:  [@Mundane\_Super\_Hero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mundane_Super_Hero)
#### Post date: [May 5, 2020, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/invasive-species-giant-hornets-in-washington-state-british-columbia/853181/6 "2020-05-05T17:54:30Z")
If this is a against Board Rules… someone please tell me… but every single “murder hornet” in the US and in Canada… needs to be killed. With Fire!!!
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### Author:  [@RioRico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RioRico)
#### Post date: [May 5, 2020, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/invasive-species-giant-hornets-in-washington-state-british-columbia/853181/7 "2020-05-05T18:16:19Z")
> [@Mundane\_Super\_Hero](#):
>
> If this is a against Board Rules… someone please tell me… but every single “murder hornet” in the US and in Canada… needs to be killed. With Fire!!!
We’re happy you’re volunteering. Pick up your flamethrower and have at-em. Or do you intend to pay someone to take your place if drafted? That’s traditional.
My head was once stung by hundreds of ground wasps so I have an excuse - I’m addled by venom. Look! Up in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s… murder hornets. Yikes.
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### Author:  [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)
#### Post date: [May 5, 2020, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/invasive-species-giant-hornets-in-washington-state-british-columbia/853181/8 "2020-05-05T19:00:00Z")
I saw one of these at a park in Kyoto last year. They are fucking huge, like a hummingbird flying by.
Coyote Peterson gets stung by an Asian Giant Hornet:
[ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7VMcMJBjD4)
Sting happens ~11:30. Skip forward bit by bit after that and marvel at the redness and swelling.
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### Author:  [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)
#### Post date: [May 5, 2020, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/invasive-species-giant-hornets-in-washington-state-british-columbia/853181/9 "2020-05-05T19:14:23Z")
What are these murder hornets and how much toilet paper do we need to buy to stop them?
(stolen)
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### Author:  [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)
#### Post date: [May 5, 2020, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/invasive-species-giant-hornets-in-washington-state-british-columbia/853181/10 "2020-05-05T19:16:38Z")
How many plagues are we up to now?
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### Author:  [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)
#### Post date: [May 5, 2020, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/invasive-species-giant-hornets-in-washington-state-british-columbia/853181/11 "2020-05-05T19:20:32Z")
Surely there must be an American insect that can step up and defend our great country? If not, maybe we need to invent one in a lab. (What could possibly go wrong?)
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### Author:  [@DinoR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DinoR)
#### Post date: [May 5, 2020, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/invasive-species-giant-hornets-in-washington-state-british-columbia/853181/12 "2020-05-05T20:06:49Z")
> [@blondebear](#):
>
> Surely there must be an American insect that can step up and defend our great country?
Both targets of the wasp mentioned in the thread to date, humans and _European_ honeybees, are not native to North America. The actual natives may be biding their time while the invaders duke it out.
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### Author:  [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)
#### Post date: [May 5, 2020, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/invasive-species-giant-hornets-in-washington-state-british-columbia/853181/13 "2020-05-05T20:14:10Z")
When does the rain of blood start? I need to get a new umbrella.
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### Author:  [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)
#### Post date: [May 5, 2020, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/invasive-species-giant-hornets-in-washington-state-british-columbia/853181/14 "2020-05-05T22:15:03Z")
Washington State can’t catch a break, can it?
Is anyone trying to design mini-drones to hunt them down and take them out?
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### Author:  [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)
#### Post date: [May 5, 2020, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/invasive-species-giant-hornets-in-washington-state-british-columbia/853181/15 "2020-05-05T23:00:09Z")
> [@MikeF](#):
>
> I’ve seen FB posts with people claiming to have seen them all over the country. I think most have actually seen Cicada Killers. They are pretty common and, from what I hear, their sting is relatively mild.
I saw someone commenting somewhere that tbey had seen them in Georgia. I find that hard to believe, because I am in South Carina and didn’t [hear them screaming](https://whyevolutionistrue.wordpress.com/2012/03/16/japanese-hornets/).
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### Author:  [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)
#### Post date: [May 5, 2020, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/invasive-species-giant-hornets-in-washington-state-british-columbia/853181/16 "2020-05-05T23:07:42Z")
Kids these days, with their fancy “murder hornets”. Back in my day, all we had were killer bees. But they were good enough for us!
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### Author:  [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)
#### Post date: [May 5, 2020, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/invasive-species-giant-hornets-in-washington-state-british-columbia/853181/17 "2020-05-05T23:15:37Z")
> [@Yllaria](#):
>
> Is anyone trying to design mini-drones to hunt them down and take them out?
We should train bats to find the hornet’s nests and then attach little incendiary devices to them to burn the hive down. Nothing could go wrong with that.
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### Author:  [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)
#### Post date: [May 5, 2020, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/invasive-species-giant-hornets-in-washington-state-british-columbia/853181/18 "2020-05-05T23:33:53Z")
Here’s some more info I found at another site. A little less sensational.
[Bug Squad](https://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=41391)
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### Author:  [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)
#### Post date: [May 6, 2020, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/invasive-species-giant-hornets-in-washington-state-british-columbia/853181/19 "2020-05-06T01:42:44Z")
> [@TriPolar](#):
>
> We should train bats to find the hornet’s nests and then attach little incendiary devices to them to burn the hive down. Nothing could go wrong with that.
[In Japan, they have a more entertaining way](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/05/world/asia/murder-hornet-japan.html):
> [@](#):
>
> Setting out in the early summer months, intrepid hunters track the insects to their huge nests, which can house as many as a thousand hornets and their larvae, in the boles of rotting trees or underground. They lure a hornet with a streamer attached to a piece of fish, and when it grabs the morsel and takes off, the hunting party goes on a steeplechase through the woods. Upon finding the nest, the hunters stun the insects with smoke, then use chain saws and shovels to extract it.
Also, less likely to result in a bat-hornet hybrid Covid-20 supervirus.
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### Author:  [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)
#### Post date: [May 6, 2020, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/invasive-species-giant-hornets-in-washington-state-british-columbia/853181/20 "2020-05-06T03:27:14Z")
> [@MikeF](#):
>
> I think most have actually seen Cicada Killers. They are pretty common and, from what I hear, their sting is relatively mild.
Or [Tarantula hawks](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarantula_hawk) which tend to scare the bejesus out of people that aren’t used to them. First time you see one zooming by, you’d swear you had just been buzzed by a 747. Which is a slight exaggeration, but they’re impressive :). They also hurt like hell.
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