The sighting of the Asian giant hornet , dubbed the Murder Hornet , in the U.S. has alarmed the Mexican population that fears the insect might arrive soon to our country for the danger of its sting is widely known, as well as its voracity .
Hence, Dr. Ricardo Ayala Barajas from the Faculty of Sciences (FC) of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) , mentioned that the arrival of this insect in Mexico is unlikely right now for it has not even settled in the U.S. yet, as has already been informed, and therefore, people should not be scared.
The fauna researcher explained in an interview with EL UNIVERSAL that the first register ever of the Murder hornet took place in an island located in Vancouver , Canada . Then, in January, a citizen spotted two giant hornets 80km away from that island, in Washington .
That was when The New York Times called it the “Murder Hornet,” a piece of news that rapidly spread in different media, making the Mexican population fear its future arrival in the country. “For now, we know that it is far from arriving in Mexico since there is not an official registry that states it has settled in the U.S. We are over 2,000 km from Canada, so it would take it a long time to find our territory,” asserted the researcher.
Ayala Barajas said that the Asian giant hornet is a social insect so it requires a lot of food , therefore, he does not think they migrated due to the destruction of their habitat but because they are constantly looking for places from where they can obtain enough resources for their hives.
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“Hornets only settle in rainforests and look for natural vegetation,” he explained, “they could not live in dry places like northern or central Mexico, where most areas are desert because of the lack of rain and food, just as they could not settle in areas inhabited by humans,” he added.
The researcher mentioned that another reason why the Asian giant hornet might have arrived in North America could have been its illegal transportation . Ayala Barajas, who is in contact with American entomologists, mentioned that Dr. Douglas Yanega, who studied the two hornets found in the North American region, concluded that each of them belongs to different hives. Whereas Alan Smith Prado , from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) , said that he has not registered more specimens of the species.
Through the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) , both researchers detected the presence of at least two shipments of alive Asian hornets: “And you wonder, why is this shipment at the CBP? In Asia, they are actually considered a delicatessen , so we concluded that people classify the species as such and thus introduce it in the country illegally.”
On the other hand, Ayala Barajas addressed the fundamental role of hornets in nature for they control other insects so that they do not become plagues in crops and plants for human consumption. “They are quite beneficial and most times, we are not able to realize this kind of situation.”
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Finally, Ayala Barajas explained that the danger of the sting relies on the excruciating pain it causes for it has a high content of venom , which makes it really painful; it is said to be thrice as painful as that of bees.
“Hornets can sting you several times; contrary to bees, they don’t die after using their sting. Their venom is more lethal and painful in the first stings and it gradually minimizes,” added the doctor.
He urged the population to learn how to live with the hornets which “will not attack unless they feel their hive is threatened ,” and invited the society to think about the importance of these insects in our ecosystem .
The 2-inch hornet has an appetite for honey bees and was spotted in Washington once it has begun to emerge from winter hibernation.
“They’re like something out of a monster cartoon with this huge yellow-orange face,” said Susan Cobey , a bee breeder at Washington State University .
“It’s a shockingly large hornet,” said Todd Murray , a WSU Extension entomologist and invasive species expert. “It’s a health hazard, and more importantly, a significant predator of honey bees.”
The hornet can sting through most beekeeper suits , deliver nearly seven times the amount of venom as a honey bee, and sting multiple times, the department said, adding that it ordered special reinforced suits from China.
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The hornet’s life cycle begins in April, when queens emerge from hibernation, feed on plant sap and fruit, and look for underground dens to build their nests. Hornets are most destructive in the late summer and early fall. Like a marauding army, they attack honey bee hives, killing adult bees and devouring larvae and pupae, WSU said.
Their stings are big and painful, with a potent neurotoxin . Multiple stings can kill humans , even if they are not allergic, the university said.
Farmers depend on honey bees to pollinate many important northwest crops such as apples, blueberries, and cherries. With the threat from giant hornets, “beekeepers may be reluctant to bring their hives here,” said Island County Extension scientist Tim Lawrence .
An invasive species can dramatically change growing conditions, Murray said, adding that now is the time to deal with the predators.
“We need to teach people how to recognize and identify this hornet while populations are small so that we can eradicate it while we still have a chance,″ Murray said.
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