In the past month, one of the world’s most frightening insects has made its way to North America. A two-inch long Japanese hornet, nicknamed the “Murder Hornet,” has been found causing trouble in Washington State. Multiple stings from one of these has the potential to kill humans (even if they’re not allergic), and the hornets are responsible for up to 50 deaths a year. The hornets pose a major threat to humans, but not because of their nasty sting. These bugs can cause mass destruction to the honey bee population. During the late summer to early fall, these hornets ravage honey bee nests, both natural and man-made. When they tear through the bee hives, they decapitate and kill the adults and eat the larvae and pupae. Just a few of the hornets can completely destroy a hive in a matter of hours. In places like Japan, where the hornet mainly lives, the honey bees have evolved to have defense mechanisms to protect themselves from this murder hornet. Scientists are working to find the best possible solution to kill off this species in North America so that it does not pose any more of a threat to the honey bee population. However, the best solution as of now is to track down as many nests as possible and eradicate them. If not, in the next coming years this invasive species could drastically harm the crops and pollination of the northwestern farms and even all over the country. 

The hornet is no joke when it comes to its stinging power. Just to see how much it can hurt, a YouTuber called Coyote Peterson captured one of these and let it sting him just to see how much power the insect had.

https://youtu.be/YR6RZ4ITqyw