Murder hornets spreading wings
The Asian giant hornet has resurfaced in British Columbia, several kilometres away from traps placed to contain it, suggesting the invasive insect has already established itself in a broader territory than previously known.
Paul van Westendorp, a provincial apiculturist for B.C., said he had confirmed one of the large hornets was discovered in the city of Langley this month. The specimen, collected after a woman killed an unusuallooking insect at her home, was found about 13 kilometres north of where two other hornets were discovered last year near Blaine, Wash.
Since those initial troubling discoveries — the aggressive hornet’s first apparent foray into North America — U.S. biologists have been placing traps throughout northwestern Washington state, while field workers in B.C. focused traps along the border with the U.S. and in the community of White Rock. But the new discovery indicates the hornet is not confined to that previously known territory, and researchers may need to expand the scope of their work.
“This particular insect has acquired a larger distribution area at this time than we had thought,” van Westendorp said.
A necropsy of the insect is planned for next week to determine whether the hornet was a queen, which typically begin to emerge in the spring when they are looking for a place to establish a nest.
Beekeepers have been particularly worried that the Asian giant hornet, which can grow up to twice the size of a European hornet, could decimate beehives if it becomes established in North America. The hornet, which earned the nickname “murder hornet” in Japan, has an appetite for bee carcasses, conducting attacks on hives that can swiftly wipe out an entire colony by decapitating the bees one by one.
With a potent stinger, the hornet can be a public health threat if someone is stung repeatedly, and it is linked to up to 50 deaths a year in Japan.
Van Westendorp said he is still hopeful that researchers, with the help of beekeepers and the public, will be able to hunt down and eradicate the new hornet before it can become established in the Pacific Northwest.
But he also said the region, which appears to offer a hospitable habitat for the hornet, may need to prepare for the possibility the insect will be around for the long term.
One set of the hornets eradicated on Vancouver Island last year was not genetically linked to those found in Washington state, suggesting the hornets may be continuing to arrive on ships or cargo planes from Asia.
But, even if the hornets do establish themselves in North America, van Westendorp said, most people should not worry too much about them, much as they do not usually fret about sharks when going into the ocean. He is concerned people fearful of the hornets will mistakenly kill bees and wasps that are critical to the region’s habitats.