Murder hornet has name that grabs headlines

Yuma has no shortage of hostile insects, but lacks moisture for new scare

Wow. A name like “murder hornet” certainly gets one’s attention, doesn’t it?

The insect swept social media over the last few days after two confirmed sightings of the invasive species in Washington state.

It’s actually a species of the Asian giant hornet, and it can grow to be up to two inches long. The Associated Press reports a single sting can deliver nearly seven times the venom as a honey bee, and it can sting multiple times. And, multiple stings can be lethal, even if a person isn’t allergic to it.

It’s only been spotted near the Canadian border, but invasive species are known for moving quickly into new spaces. The murder hornet is also deadly to bees, which play a critical role in agricultural operations – one of Yuma County’s economic mainstays.

However, one Arizona expert interviewed by NBC News 12 thinks there isn’t much chance murder hornets will come here to Southern Arizona and the Sonoran Desert, because murder hornets require a constant source of moisture.

So the murder hornet isn’t worth very much worry here at this point … but the name does make us think of other, more scary insects here in Yuma County.

Take, for example, the black widow spider. The Mayo Clinic reports that the bites are rarely fatal, but they can be dangerous, especially to young children and the elderly. The bites are painful, causing localized swelling, and sometimes severe pain and cramping.

Yuma County is also home to the brown recluse spider, which, according to Poison Control, lives up to its name by rarely being seen. The bite often isn’t felt, but it can cause severe tissue damage and tissue death.

We also have scorpions, which are easily spotted out in the desert surrounding Yuma with a black light at night. The Mayo Clinic notes that scorpions hurt and can in some cases require treatment, but death from a scorpion sting is very rare.

And then there are the insects you don’t really think about, like mosquitoes, which can spread a variety of diseases. Yuma is home to the Aedes aegypti, which has the potential to carry West Nile, dengue fever and Zika … so go empty out any containers on your property with standing water to eliminate their breeding ground, please!

So back to that murder hornet. We’d prefer not to run into one, so hopefully experts are correct that Southern Arizona is simply too arid. Instead, keep an eye out for Yuma’s own particular blend of dangerous insects, and stay safe readers!