Asain giant hornet and the extent of their spread in the US
According to a May 4, 2020, article in National Geographic,
scientists are concerned that these ‘Murder Hornets’ can spread throughout Washington
and pose a threat to American bees as well as humans. The ‘Murder Hornet’ comes from Japan and East Asia.
The group of hornets consists of a queen and a number of worker flies.
They can travel more than half a dozen miles in search of food.
Hornets like to eat many kinds of insects but specifically enjoy feasting on bees. These insects are nearly two inches in length,
the world’s largest wasps.
They can decimate beehives in minutes. Researchers say that if the Asian hornet bites a person about 50 times or fewer,
the person can die of kidney damage.
Every year in Japan, 30 to 50 people die from the sting of these hornets.
In 2013, when populations of the hornets were unusually high, they killed 42 people in a single Chinese province.