Could ‘murder hornets’ survive here?
WATERLOO REGION — Canadians are on high alert as experts in British Columbia hunt for any sign the Asian giant hornet, or “murder hornet” as it’s nicknamed, survived the winter.
Vespa mandarinia is the largest hornet in the world with queens that can grow up to five centimetres long, wingspans up to seven cm and stingers that can penetrate beekeeping suits. In the fall they attack and decimate honeybee populations, which have no natural defence against them.
They were first found in Nanaimo, B.C., in August 2019. That nest was destroyed. Other sightings have been reported on Vancouver Island and in Washington state.
In March, the B.C. ministry of agriculture released an information bulletin warning residents to be on the lookout.
Paul Kozak, Ontario’s provincial apiarist, says Ontario is in surveillance mode working with other jurisdictions across North America to share information on monitoring, control methods and to help beekeepers know what to be looking for.
He says it’s too early to say if the Asian giant hornet could survive in Ontario, but it is known to live in similar temperate areas elsewhere. The most likely way the hornet could arrive in Ontario is through movement of goods, rather than establishing hives across the country year by year.
“The Asian giant hornet will be another kick in the pants for the bees if they’re able to establish, which remains to be seen,” Kozak said. “We are keeping an eye on them. We don’t know if they’ll survive.”
Kozak said Vespa mandarinia is one of two species of hornets pre-emptively named in the
Ontario Bees Act, which gives the ministry of agriculture authority to “do what they need to do to eradicate it.”
Gard Otis is a retired professor from the University of Guelph and an expert in insect ecology and behaviour with a focus on honeybees. He believes there is little risk of interaction between humans and Asian giant hornets.
That said, its sting is extremely painful and so venomous it destroys the tissue surrounding the sting, leaving pocked scars. Otis recalled being stung on his big toe by a nearly identical species while conducting research in Vietnam. “It was the worst sting I’ve ever had in my life. I couldn’t put a shoe on for three days.”
According to Otis, hundreds of foreign species of plants and insects arrive every year in Canada, and most are not able to survive and thrive here.
Asian giant hornets are nicknamed “murder hornets” because of the way they decimate bee populations by tearing bees’ heads off and feeding the thorax to their young. The hornets will work together to invade a bee hive in the fall when their own hives are at their peak population.
When a hornet finds a honeybee nest, they will mark it with pheromones. More hornets will join, and over a period of 30 minutes they will mass outside before they attack the bees at once. They are known to kill up to 40 bees a minute.
Native Japanese honeybees have a defence mechanism that involves swarming the first hornet and cooking it with their warmth before it has a chance to let the rest of its hive know where the bees’ location is. European honeybees, which are the common species in North America, have no natural defence against the Asian giant hornet.
The hornets are not known to attack people unprovoked. In Asia, problems between the hornets and humans occur when a person accidentally steps on a nest.
Leah Gerber’s reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative. The funding allows her to report on stories about the Grand River Watershed. Email lgerber@therecord.com