The US informed that it had exterminated the worldʼs largest hornets, nicknamed "killer hornets" — they are capable of occupying a hive of honey bees in just 90 minutes, decapitating all its inhabitants and feeding their offspring to their own.
This was reported by the Department of Agriculture in Washington.
The hornets, which can reach five centimeters in length, were previously called Asian giant hornets, but in 2019 they were also spotted in Washington state near the Canadian border. In China, these insects killed 42 people and seriously injured 1,675.
A dead northern giant hornet (below) next to a native bald hornet.
According to experts, the hornets could have entered North America in plant pots or shipping containers.
The hornet can sting through most beekeeper suits because it produces nearly seven times more venom than a honeybee and stings multiple times. Thatʼs why the Washington Department of Agriculture ordered special reinforced suits from China.
“I have to tell you, as an entomologist, I have been doing this for over 25 years, and it is rare that people can actually defeat insects,” commented Sven Spichiger, the head of the pest control program.
The success was due to Washington state residents agreeing to set traps in their areas and reporting hornet sightings, and researchers who captured live hornets attached a radio tag to the hornet to track its path to the hive. The hives were destroyed when breeding began there.
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