Looks like we are in for some fun - from Washington State University:
WSU scientists enlist citizens in hunt for giant, bee-killing hornet
More than two inches long, the world’s largest hornet carries a painful, sometimes lethal sting and an appetite for honey bees. It is also the newest insect invader of Washington state.
The Asian giant hornet, Vespa mandarinia, is unmistakable, said Susan Cobey, bee breeder with Washington State University’s Department of Entomology.
“They’re like something out of a monster cartoon with this huge yellow-orange face,” she said.
“It’s a shockingly large hornet,” added Todd Murray, WSU Extension entomologist and invasive species specialist. “It’s a health hazard, and more importantly, a significant predator of honey bees.”
Cobey, Murray and other WSU scientists are bracing for the giant hornet’s emergence this spring. Sighted for the first time in Washington last December, the hornet will start to become active in April. WSU researchers are working with the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA), beekeepers and citizens to find it, study it and help roll back its spread.
And the sightings are local - north-western part of the state
In the first-ever sightings in the U.S., WSDA verified two reports of the Asian giant hornet late last year near Blaine, Wash. and received two probable, but unconfirmed reports, from sites in Custer, Wash.
Just a little bundle of joy - their stingers are long enough to penetrate a standard beekeeper's suit. They predate on honey bees so this is of real concern for food production. No bees? No pollination and no fruit.
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