the Arrival of the Asian Giant Hornet
If 2020 wasn't bad enough with a global pandemic ravaging our nation, we had the announcement that murder hornets had arrived in America. A nest was tracked down in the town of Blaine, Washington and exterminated. Blaine is a logical place of entry for this terrible insect since it is a major border crossing from Canada and also borders the waterway that brings shipping traffic to the Port of Vancouver. One could surmise that a queen hornet packaged in a shipping container from Asia somehow escaped an ocean-going vessel or a commercial tractor trailer bringing goods into North America. Another disturbing possibility is the AGH is already established in the Vancouver or Port of New Westminster areas and they have slowly made their way south down to the United States. Looking at shipping routes and manifests we can see that these two ports are major hubs for shipping from Asia, and send a great deal of traffic into the US at the Blaine, Washington border crossing . In the end, we are not sure how they got here but like many other invasive species it appears they are part of the price we pay for global trade.
Blaine, Washington distance to New Westminster. Vancouver Island is at the bottom left of the map.
Description of the Asian Giant Hornet
The Asian giant hornet is the largest hornet in the world and it is the apex predator of the Hymenoptera world. They are found in East Asia and have spread to parts other parts of the Far East and into Eastern Russia. These hornets are huge and pack a terrible sting that leaves wounds that are large and painful. A friend of ours was stung by one while he was cycling in Northern Japan and he said the sting felt like "he hit with a bullet", The wound took a week or so to heal and he felt the pain for days. The hornets are also brightly colored and have the look of something out of a Godzilla movie. The heads are a bright yellow color, the thorax is black, and the abdomen has yellow and black or brown stripes.
The Danger to Honey Bees
People will often ask us "What is the danger to Honey Bees from Murder Hornets?" Our answer is simple, these guys can destroy a hive in an afternoon. Honey bees are always repelling other insects that will try to rob their hives of honey, pollen or brood. Even other honey bees will rob weaker hives if they have the opportunity. If a hive is strong and healthy it can repulse invaders and still continue the daily operations of foraging, nursing, and maintaining the hive. The issue with murder hornets is that they are effective at targeting a honey bee colony and decimating it with the aid of only a few other hornets. Once targeted a group of murder hornets can kill thousands upon thousands of honey bees. This coordinated and devastating attack is something that our western honey bees have ever seen.
The Asian giant hornet is the largest hornet in the world and it is the apex predator of the Hymenoptera world. They are found in East Asia and have spread to parts other parts of the Far East and into Eastern Russia. These hornets are huge and pack a terrible sting that leaves wounds that are large and painful. A friend of ours was stung by one while he was cycling in Northern Japan and he said the sting felt like "he hit with a bullet", The wound took a week or so to heal and he felt the pain for days. The hornets are also brightly colored and have the look of something out of a Godzilla movie. The heads are a bright yellow color, the thorax is black, and the abdomen has yellow and black or brown stripes.
The Danger to Honey Bees
People will often ask us "What is the danger to Honey Bees from Murder Hornets?" Our answer is simple, these guys can destroy a hive in an afternoon. Honey bees are always repelling other insects that will try to rob their hives of honey, pollen or brood. Even other honey bees will rob weaker hives if they have the opportunity. If a hive is strong and healthy it can repulse invaders and still continue the daily operations of foraging, nursing, and maintaining the hive. The issue with murder hornets is that they are effective at targeting a honey bee colony and decimating it with the aid of only a few other hornets. Once targeted a group of murder hornets can kill thousands upon thousands of honey bees. This coordinated and devastating attack is something that our western honey bees have ever seen.