Great. Giant Asian Hornet Discovered In Snohomish County, WA

[hatrack]

Scientists have found a dead Asian giant hornet north of Seattle, the first so-called murder hornet found in the country this year, federal and state investigators said Wednesday. Entomologists from the state and US Agriculture departments said it’s the first confirmed report from Snohomish county, north of Seattle, and appears to be unrelated to the 2019 and 2020 findings of the hornets in Canada and Whatcom county, along the Canadian border, that gained widespread attention.

The 2in-long (5cm-long) invasive insects, first found near the US-Canadian border in December 2019, are native to Asia and pose a threat to honeybees and native hornet species. While not particularly aggressive toward humans, their sting is extremely painful and repeated stings, though rare, can kill.

The world’s largest hornet is much more of a threat to honeybees that are relied on to pollinate crops. They attack hives, destroying them in mere hours and decapitating bees in what scientists call their “slaughter phase”. How they got here from Asia is unclear. In the latest sighting, a resident found the dead hornet near the city of Marysville and reported it 4 June to the state Department of Agriculture. Entomologists contacted the person 7 June, then retrieved the dead hornet the next day. It was very dried out, and found to be a male hornet.

Given the time of year, that it was a male and that the specimen was exceptionally dry, entomologists believe it was an old hornet from a previous season that wasn’t discovered until now. New males usually don’t emerge until at least July.

EDIT

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jun/16/seattle-murder-hornet-us-2021

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

1. Moving further south