John Mitchell
The Asian Giant Hornet, often called the “Murder Hornet,” has recently been making headlines amidst fears that they could devastate American bee populations. Growing up to two inches long, and with a stinger long enough to sting through a protective bee suit, murder hornets kill up to 50 people a year in Japan, according to the BBC. By comparison, shark attacks kill around 7 people per year worldwide. Using their spiked mandibles to decapitate the bees, murder hornets are capable of wiping out entire hives in a matter of hours, carrying off the thoraxes of the bees to feed their young. Considering that bee populations in the United States have fallen by more than 50% in recent years, any threat to these valuable pollinators is being taken extremely seriously by the scientific and beekeeping communities.

Native to much of Eastern Asia, the hornets have arrived in the Pacific Northwest though unknown means, possibly smuggled in, possibly brought over accidentally. Locals in Washington state have already found two of the fearsome insects, with another one sighted ten miles away in Canada, likely too far to be part of the same colony. Although one hive has already been eliminated, genetic testing has confirmed that the two hornets found in Washington were from different hives, and the search is already underway to find and eliminate the remaining hives. Using a variety of baited traps, scientists hope to capture and track murder hornets, find their nests, and destroy them. But with the woods of the Pacific Northwest making prime habitat for these deadly insects, only time will tell if the spread of the “Murder Hornet” can be stopped before serious damage is done to the vulnerable American bee population.