Good Riddance To The Giant Murder Hornets

Murder hornets are dead -- for now.

If you'll remember, just over a four years ago, a lot of people pushed their panic buttons when a beekeeper in Washington state reported the heads being torn off a whole colony of his bees.

The man, Ted McFall, told the New York Times, “I couldn’t wrap my head around what could have done that."

Described in the Times as two-inch long Asian giant hornets, they 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.

A single sting may hurt a human. A swarm of murder hornet stings could kill.

In fact, in Japan murder hornets are pegged as the culprits in about 50 deaths a year.

A concern for sure, but the good news is murder hornets appear to have been eradicated in North America.

“We are proud of this landmark victory in the fight against invasive species,” said Dr. Mark Davidson Deputy Administrator at USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. “By tackling this threat head-on, we protected not only pollinators and crops, but also the industries, communities, and ecosystems that depend on them.”

The victory lap came via press release earlier this week

The eradication success was the result of a multiyear effort to find and kill off the hornets, which began in 2019. It involved extensive collaboration between state, federal, and international government agencies.

Pest specialist Sven Spichiger did issue a word of warning to all, though.

“Although they are now eradicated, we’ll always be keeping an eye out for them and encourage community members to do the same. They got here once and they could do it again.”

The murder hornet is generally thought of as the second deadliest hornet in the world -- second to the executioner wasp, which causes high levels of pain for as long as 36 hours.

The executioner wasp, found mainly in central and South America, is very territorial and will attack animals (and humans) that come into its domain.

Its sting and venom have been known to bring down large animals and is often called kava mainomby, or hummingbird wasp, for its large size. Its other nickname is carnifex, Latin for executioner's hangman.

Get our free mobile app