A giant species of bees have reached the US shores and are threatening the native population of insects there. Vespa Mandarinia, dubbed as murder hornets, were first discovered in Washington by a beekeeper and have alarmed the agricultural scientists.
These giant bees though generally do not attack the humans or pets, but once threatened they can sting humans too. And their multiple stings can even kill them.
Here are some things to know about murder hornets:
• The stinging Vespa mandarinia can grow as large as 2-1/2 inches (6.4 cm) in length. They have a large orange/yellow head with prominent eyes, black and yellow striped abdomen and form large colonies that usually nest in the ground.
• The species is native to Southeast Asia, China and Taiwan.
• The murder hornets present a danger to agriculture and the apiary industry, because the insect is known to attack honey bees, with a few of the hornets capable of wiping out an entire hive in hours.
• The Washington State Agricultural Department said that the murder hornets leave piles of dead bees, most of them headless, outside their beehive.
• Scientists don’t know for sure how the Murder Hornet made its way to Blaine. The most likely scenario is that it arrived on a container ship docking at one of Washington’s ports. Intentional transport of the killer bug into the United States would violate federal law.
• Their stinger is longer than that of a honeybee and their venom is more toxic. Typical beekeeping protective clothing is not sufficient to protect you from stings.
• A report in the New York Times said that around 50 people are killed every year by murder hornets.