5 ms·

Asia's 'murder hornet' will arrive on East Coast, are 'here to stay' experts say

46 points by nickgrosvenor 6y ago

varenc 6y ago
Wikipedia link: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asian_giant_hornet https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asian_giant_hornet Some fun quotes: “Fatalities from envenomation are primarily related to anaphylactic shock or cardiac arrest.” “Those who died, on average, were stung 59 times (with a standard deviation of 12)” “Only a few hornets (under 50) can exterminate a colony of tens of thousands of bees in a few hours” “ European honey bees have no innate defense against the hornets, which can rapidly destroy their colonies.” And the wasps are also a dubious nutritional supplement.
riffraff 6y ago
> Planakis said that inside their venom “is a pheromone, which is like a magnet to other hornets.” > “So you can get swarmed just from getting stung by one.” > “The worst thing anyone can do with these things is kill them,” he said. “That scent is going to be airborne, and the rest of the hive will come. Isn't this true for all kinds of wasps/hornets?
exhilaration 6y ago
The NYTimes did a story on these hornets one day before the Post ran this story: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/02/us/asian-giant-hornet-washington.html https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/02/us/asian-giant-hornet-was... There's a second story today about how Japanese honey bees swarm these hornets, raise the temperature, and cook them alive: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/03/us/murder-hornets-asian-giant-hornet-bees.html https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/03/us/murder-hornets-asian-g... There's a cool video to go along: https://youtu.be/awoV5Wj9Iys https://youtu.be/awoV5Wj9Iys
- dntbnmpls 6y ago
  > The NYTimes did a story on these hornets one day before the Post ran this story: Who cares? There have been reports by other news organizations for months now? Does the exist of these hornets change whether it is reported by the nytimes or not? https://www.oregonlive.com/environment/2019/12/huge-invasive-bee-killing-hornet-turns-up-in-washington-state.html https://www.oregonlive.com/environment/2019/12/huge-invasive... > There's a second story today about how Japanese honey bees swarm these hornets, raise the temperature, and cook them alive: This has been on social media for many many years. Nothing new or worthwhile really. > There's a cool video to go along: https://youtu.be/awoV5Wj9Iys https://youtu.be/awoV5Wj9Iys See. 2017.
detaro 6y ago
Two recent discussions of articles about those hornets: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23057159 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23057159 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22826773 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22826773
Noumenon72 6y ago
We have a lot of unemployed people right now who could be helping wipe these guys out. > Planakis said that in China, they have hornet hunters. > “There’s a tracker, and what they do is they set up a water source, and they wait there, like a deer hunter would,” he said. > “As soon as they see the hornet coming to the water source to drink, the guy jumps out with a net, and he grabs it. Then, ever so carefully, he ties a strong on it and lets it go. > “There’s a spotter watching it now with binoculars, and he watches this thing as it flies, because obviously it’s going to fly back to the nest. When they find it, they mark where the nest is. > “And at night they come back and with a flame-thrower, pretty much go at it, just follow them back to their base camp, and when they least expect it, boom, go after them.” It's outdoors, it's socially distanced, it's the perfect job for the Covid-19 economy.
- zxcvbn4038 6y ago
  I’ve seen this movie, did we learn nothing from Ridley Scott? Nuke them from high orbit, it’s the only way to be sure.
gmuslera 6y ago
The next big scare? Why would someone bring to the US a colony of them (or a number big enough to make one)? Anyway, I can't stop thinking on P.K.Dick's Meddler, but with hornets instead of blue butterflies. Try to avoid bringing them from the future.
- Andaith 6y ago
  As I understand it they were stowaways on a container ship.
snarfy 6y ago
> “The worst thing anyone can do with these things is kill them,” he said. “That scent is going to be airborne, and the rest of the hive will come. Sounds like good bait for a hornet trap.
abledon 6y ago
lyme disease ticks, asian murder hornets... what would be a nice third candidate to gain footing here for an unholy trinity?
- LogicX 6y ago
  Cicadas are what you’re looking for! https://nypost.com/2020/04/16/seventeen-year-cicadas-are-about-to-invade-the-east-coast/ https://nypost.com/2020/04/16/seventeen-year-cicadas-are-abo...
  - theandrewbailey 6y ago
    Cicadas are pretty harmless.
    - zxcvbn4038 6y ago
      Cicadas my be harmless, but my wife running away from cicadas can cause significant damage to property.
- potiuper 6y ago
  Brown widow spiders. The ticks spread by the wasps; the spiders prey on the wasps and ticks; the wasps on the spiders and ticks.
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
- mc32 6y ago
  Mosquito borne diseases like Eee or Zika etc are more than enough already.
  - nickgrosvenor 6y ago
    This is the one. Asian tiger mosquito. Needs to be wiped out with generic engineering
- 6y ago
lonelappde 6y ago
Reminiscent the fire ant invasion https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_imported_fire_ants_in_the_United_States https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_imported_fire_ants_in_th...
- zxcvbn4038 6y ago
  Or even worse - crazy ants. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rasberry_crazy_ant https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rasberry_crazy_ant

46 points by nickgrosvenor 6y ago

Wikipedia link: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asian_giant_hornet https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asian_giant_hornet Some fun quotes: “Fatalities from envenomation are primarily related to anaphylactic shock or cardiac arrest.” “Those who died, on average, were stung 59 times (with a standard deviation of 12)” “Only a few hornets (under 50) can exterminate a colony of tens of thousands of bees in a few hours” “ European honey bees have no innate defense against the hornets, which can rapidly destroy their colonies.” And the wasps are also a dubious nutritional supplement.

riffraff 6y ago

> Planakis said that inside their venom “is a pheromone, which is like a magnet to other hornets.” > “So you can get swarmed just from getting stung by one.” > “The worst thing anyone can do with these things is kill them,” he said. “That scent is going to be airborne, and the rest of the hive will come. Isn't this true for all kinds of wasps/hornets?

exhilaration 6y ago

The NYTimes did a story on these hornets one day before the Post ran this story: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/02/us/asian-giant-hornet-washington.html https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/02/us/asian-giant-hornet-was... There's a second story today about how Japanese honey bees swarm these hornets, raise the temperature, and cook them alive: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/03/us/murder-hornets-asian-giant-hornet-bees.html https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/03/us/murder-hornets-asian-g... There's a cool video to go along: https://youtu.be/awoV5Wj9Iys https://youtu.be/awoV5Wj9Iys

dntbnmpls 6y ago
> The NYTimes did a story on these hornets one day before the Post ran this story: Who cares? There have been reports by other news organizations for months now? Does the exist of these hornets change whether it is reported by the nytimes or not? https://www.oregonlive.com/environment/2019/12/huge-invasive-bee-killing-hornet-turns-up-in-washington-state.html https://www.oregonlive.com/environment/2019/12/huge-invasive... > There's a second story today about how Japanese honey bees swarm these hornets, raise the temperature, and cook them alive: This has been on social media for many many years. Nothing new or worthwhile really. > There's a cool video to go along: https://youtu.be/awoV5Wj9Iys https://youtu.be/awoV5Wj9Iys See. 2017.

detaro 6y ago

Two recent discussions of articles about those hornets: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23057159 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23057159 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22826773 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22826773

Noumenon72 6y ago

We have a lot of unemployed people right now who could be helping wipe these guys out. > Planakis said that in China, they have hornet hunters. > “There’s a tracker, and what they do is they set up a water source, and they wait there, like a deer hunter would,” he said. > “As soon as they see the hornet coming to the water source to drink, the guy jumps out with a net, and he grabs it. Then, ever so carefully, he ties a strong on it and lets it go. > “There’s a spotter watching it now with binoculars, and he watches this thing as it flies, because obviously it’s going to fly back to the nest. When they find it, they mark where the nest is. > “And at night they come back and with a flame-thrower, pretty much go at it, just follow them back to their base camp, and when they least expect it, boom, go after them.” It's outdoors, it's socially distanced, it's the perfect job for the Covid-19 economy.

zxcvbn4038 6y ago
I’ve seen this movie, did we learn nothing from Ridley Scott? Nuke them from high orbit, it’s the only way to be sure.

gmuslera 6y ago

The next big scare? Why would someone bring to the US a colony of them (or a number big enough to make one)? Anyway, I can't stop thinking on P.K.Dick's Meddler, but with hornets instead of blue butterflies. Try to avoid bringing them from the future.

Andaith 6y ago
As I understand it they were stowaways on a container ship.

snarfy 6y ago

> “The worst thing anyone can do with these things is kill them,” he said. “That scent is going to be airborne, and the rest of the hive will come. Sounds like good bait for a hornet trap.

abledon 6y ago

lyme disease ticks, asian murder hornets... what would be a nice third candidate to gain footing here for an unholy trinity?

LogicX 6y ago
Cicadas are what you’re looking for! https://nypost.com/2020/04/16/seventeen-year-cicadas-are-about-to-invade-the-east-coast/ https://nypost.com/2020/04/16/seventeen-year-cicadas-are-abo...
- theandrewbailey 6y ago
  Cicadas are pretty harmless.
  - zxcvbn4038 6y ago
    Cicadas my be harmless, but my wife running away from cicadas can cause significant damage to property.
potiuper 6y ago
Brown widow spiders. The ticks spread by the wasps; the spiders prey on the wasps and ticks; the wasps on the spiders and ticks.
deleted 6y ago
[deleted]
mc32 6y ago
Mosquito borne diseases like Eee or Zika etc are more than enough already.
- nickgrosvenor 6y ago
  This is the one. Asian tiger mosquito. Needs to be wiped out with generic engineering
6y ago

lonelappde 6y ago

Reminiscent the fire ant invasion https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_imported_fire_ants_in_the_United_States https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_imported_fire_ants_in_th...

zxcvbn4038 6y ago
Or even worse - crazy ants. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rasberry_crazy_ant https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rasberry_crazy_ant