Giant Hornets Arrive in United States
2020-05-06
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1Hundreds of large Asian hornets, sometimes called "murder hornets," have been found in the American state of Washington.
2Agriculture officials said the insects present a threat to both humans and the beekeeping industry.
3The insect can grow as large as 6.35 cm in length.
4Its sting can be deadly to some people.
5A native of East and Southeast Asia, the invasive insect is now starting to come out from winter hibernation.
6"They're like something out of a monster cartoon with this huge yellow-orange face," said Susan Cobey.
7She raises and studies bees at Washington State University, or WSU.
8The university said it is not known how or where the hornets arrived in North America.
9They likely arrived on a ship docking at one of Washington's ports.
10Transporting the insects on purpose would violate U.S. law.
11The hornet was first seen in the U.S. last December when state officials confirmed two reports near Blaine, Washington.
12Two likely, but unconfirmed, reports also came from Custer, Washington, south of Blaine.
13The hornets normally live in the forests and low mountains of Asia and feed on large insects, including wasps and bees.
14Its life cycle begins in April, when queens come out of hibernation and look for underground places to build their nests.
15Hornets are most destructive in the late summer and early fall.
16They attack honey bee hives, killing adult bees and eating their young.
17Farmers depend on honey bees to pollinate many important northwest crops such as apples, blueberries and cherries.
18With the threat from large hornets, beekeepers may be less likely "to bring their hives here," said Island County Extension scientist Tim Lawrence.
19Todd Murray is an insect and invasive species specialist with WSU.
20He said now is the time to deal with the hornets.
21"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.
22Sven-Erik Spichiger is with the Washington state Agriculture Department.
23He warned people against trying to destroy the hornet's nests and urged them to contact officials.
24Spichiger said hornets do not generally target people but they can attack when threatened.
25He added, "most people can survive one or two stings" but some might not survive several stings from the large insect.
26I'm John Russell.
1Hundreds of large Asian hornets, sometimes called "murder hornets," have been found in the American state of Washington. Agriculture officials said the insects present a threat to both humans and the beekeeping industry. 2The insect can grow as large as 6.35 cm in length. Its sting can be deadly to some people. A native of East and Southeast Asia, the invasive insect is now starting to come out from winter hibernation. 3"They're like something out of a monster cartoon with this huge yellow-orange face," said Susan Cobey. She raises and studies bees at Washington State University, or WSU. 4The university said it is not known how or where the hornets arrived in North America. They likely arrived on a ship docking at one of Washington's ports. Transporting the insects on purpose would violate U.S. law. 5The hornet was first seen in the U.S. last December when state officials confirmed two reports near Blaine, Washington. Two likely, but unconfirmed, reports also came from Custer, Washington, south of Blaine. 6The hornets normally live in the forests and low mountains of Asia and feed on large insects, including wasps and bees. Its life cycle begins in April, when queens come out of hibernation and look for underground places to build their nests. Hornets are most destructive in the late summer and early fall. They attack honey bee hives, killing adult bees and eating their young. 7Farmers depend on honey bees to pollinate many important northwest crops such as apples, blueberries and cherries. With the threat from large hornets, beekeepers may be less likely "to bring their hives here," said Island County Extension scientist Tim Lawrence. 8Todd Murray is an insect and invasive species specialist with WSU. He said now is the time to deal with the hornets. "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. 9Sven-Erik Spichiger is with the Washington state Agriculture Department. He warned people against trying to destroy the hornet's nests and urged them to contact officials. 10Spichiger said hornets do not generally target people but they can attack when threatened. He added, "most people can survive one or two stings" but some might not survive several stings from the large insect. 11I'm John Russell. 12John Russell adapted this story based on reports from Reuters and the Associated Press. Hai Do was the editor. 13_____________________________________________________________ 14Words in This Story 15sting -- n. an injury caused when an insect or animal stings you 16invasive - adj. tending to spread 17hibernation - n. From hibernate: to spend the winter sleeping or resting 18monster -- n. a strange or horrible imaginary creature 19cartoon -- n. a film or television show made by photographing a series of drawings : an animated film or television show 20dock -- v. to bring a ship or boat into a dock 21life cycle - n. the series of stages through which a living thing passes from the beginning of its life until its death 22pollination - n. botany : to move pollen from one flower to another 23hive -- n. a nest for bees 24eradicate - v. to remove (something) completely : to eliminate or destroy (something harmful)