Asian Giant Hornets Pt 1

Asian Giant Hornets Pt 1

Bob Larson
Bob Larson
I’m Bob Larson. At 2-inches long and kind of scary looking, the state is now setting traps for the Asian Giant Hornet in Whatcom County.

I asked Bayer Entomologist Dick Rogers what this new intruder is all about …

ROGERS … “The Asian Giant Hornet is a true hornet. Its origin is in southern and eastern Asia, including Japan and also eastern Russia as well.”

And, Rogers says its name IS indicative of its size …

ROGERS … “It’s the largest hornet in the world, hence its name “giant,” and for food it uses large insects and honey bees are included in that as a protein source.”

But, Rogers says it is honey bees that we worry about …

ROGERS … “But, yeah, it’s just the largest hornet in the world and it has the potential to cause some serious pain from stings and also can depopulate honey bee hives very quickly.”

Rogers says honey bees in Asia have figured out that surrounding the hornets and generating heat with their rapid wing flaps can drive them off …

ROGERS … “In North America, we don’t think our bees would be able to do that. They just have not evolved that response at this point.”

Bottom line, Rogers says they could be a threat …

ROGERS … “These hornets do get well-established and distributed in the country, which we haven’t determined if they have yet, then they could depopulate some honey bee colonies.”

Tune in tomorrow for more on the Asian Giant Hornets.

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