Bug experts dismiss worry about US ‘murder hornets’ as hype
In this April 23, 2020, photo provided by the Washington State Department of Agriculture, a researcher holds a dead Asian giant hornet in Blaine, Wash. The world's largest hornet, a 2-inch long killer with an appetite for honey bees, has been found in Washington state and entomologists are making plans to wipe it out. Dubbed the "Murder Hornet" by some, the Asian giant hornet has a sting that could be fatal to some humans. It is just now starting to emerge from hibernation. (Karla Salp/Washington State Department of Agriculture via AP)
Bug experts are dismissing as media hype the recent worry about so-called murder hornets spotted in Washington state.
They say despite its homicidal nickname and this week’s headlines, the Asian giant hornet is not a big threat to people.
The world’s largest hornets could be a threat to honeybees if they get established in America.
But they haven’t yet.
No live hornets have been found in the U.S. and the only live nest seen in North America was wiped out last September.
Bug experts across the country are getting calls from worried people thinking they saw one of these hornets, yet haven’t.
