Asian giant hornets, recently discovered in the United States, pose a mortal danger not only for the bee population but also for people. The issue drew the attention of The New York Times.
Beekeeper Ted McFall of the U.S. state of Washington, told me that his bees, in all likelihood, were victims of assassins, which was not previously in the United States. Arriving at the apiary, he found on earth thousands of bee corpses, and the same in the hive. Nothing like he ever seen. McFall suspects to blame for this giant Asian hornets (Vespa mandarinia), an insect with a wingspan of (in some cases) more than nine inches.
North-West of the state first noticed these insects in December 2019, as reported by the authorities. The fact that it is really dangerous animals in their native Japan they’re called hornets-killers. The bite of this species hornets may be fatal because they have a long iron tip, capable of piercing even the thick fabric. As a result of the bite, some people die from allergic shock. A year are the victims of about 50 people in Japan.
Asian hornets can be a serious problem for beekeeping: this invasive species (spread as a result of human activities, threatening native species and ecosystems) are especially dangerous for bees. Within a few hours they can kill the whole bee family.
By the way, the Japanese bees have learned to deal with the hornets: they attack separate instances of the murderers of the whole swarm and flap their wings until, until the temperature inside the swarm will be so high that the hornet will not survive it will die.
Bees from other parts of the world, which did not meet Vespa mandarinia, do not know about this method of dealing with them, so they can be destroyed giant killers.
As hornets Vespa mandarinia were able to reach the American continent, is still unknown. Beekeepers and local residents hope that the hornets do not settle there permanently. Authorities are trying to get rid of these unwelcome guests: the plan is to destroy the entire colony of hornets at the same time.
