Why The Big Rush to Locate, Exterminate Murder Hornets in WA?

We're hearing recently another round of stories about the Asian Murder Hornet, especially the one that was captured and apparently tagged with a tiny locator to allow researchers to follow it for a couple of weeks in WA state.

The Giant Asian Murder Hornet comes from, yes, Asia. They are most prevalent in Japan. These orange and blackish fierce-looking insects are predatory towards other insects, especially bee populations.

Bees are one of the most important insects in food and crop generation in the world. They pollinate many kinds of plants, fruits etc. that are necessary for the proper growth and health of plants. Without bees, much of our agricultural industry would be devastated growth-wise.

Asian Murder Hornets prey on bees by using their powerful pinchers to snap off the heads of other insects, including bees, then use the rest to feed their young.

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But while there's concern over what they would do to bee populations in the US, some researchers, including those at Havard University, say the current or even down the road threat to bee populations from Murder Hornets is well down the list below such threats as pesticides and changing climate conditions.

These researchers even say if the hornets establish a foothold here, it's likely bee populations would 'evolve' because of their highly organized and structured societies. They would eventually develop defensive methods to protect themselves and even defeat these hornet invaders.

In fact, according to Harvard researchers, Asian honeybees will gather themselves up in a ball and heat up their body temps to around 120-122 degrees, which is lethal to the hornets. But these Asian bees are different than the ones here.

So, for now, Federal officials are working diligently to locate any and all possible nests or colonies of such hornets, with the hope of eradicating them from our region completely.