What are Asian giant hornets, and are they really dangerous? 5 questions answered
According to recent press reports, two Asian giant hornets – a species not known to occur in North America – were found in northwest Washington state in late 2019, and a hornet colony was found and eliminated in British Columbia. Now scientists are trying to determine whether more of these large predatory insects are present in the region. Entomologist Akito Kawahara explains why headlines referring to “murder hornets” are misleading.
Asian giant hornets (Vespa mandarinia japonica) drinking sap from tree bark in Japan.
Alpsdake/Wikipedia, CC BY-SA
1. How common are these hornets in Asia, and how much alarm do they cause?
The Asian giant hornet (Vespa mandarinia) is fairly common in many parts of Asia, where it is called the “Giant hornet.” Growing up in Japan, I saw them relatively freque...