Althouse: "I've already had some emails from people who think they've seen the Asian giant hornet in Wisconsin..."

May 8, 2020

"I've already had some emails from people who think they've seen the Asian giant hornet in Wisconsin..."

"... but I'm convinced that they're seeing our own large wasps that live here, which are for the most part harmless... It's actually not highly likely that they'll ever be established in Wisconsin just based on where they live in Asia. They are not found in the kind of climate that you can find in Asia that's similar to Green Bay." Also: "They're really big hornets, OK, and they have a painful sting, but many, many more people die of honeybees in Japan and China and Asia than murder hornets."

WMTV quotes UW-Green Bay Nature Sciences Professor Michael Draney.

38 comments:

robother said...: If it only saves one life. Best to keep WI on total shutdown until we find another species that feeds on the Murder Hornets that can be imported.; 5/8/20, 9:42 AM
Wince said...: Funny meme...

Bees preparing for the Murder Hornets; 5/8/20, 9:46 AM
Bob Boyd said...: I think I saw some passing overhead. Do they fly in a V formation?; 5/8/20, 9:47 AM
hombre said...: What would the mediaswine do without college professors who have opinions they are willing to share about everything?

Well, maybe research.; 5/8/20, 9:49 AM
pious agnostic said...: Shouldn't we be calling them Kansas giant hornets since it's been established they originated in the US?; 5/8/20, 9:50 AM
Nonapod said...: AKAIK there hasn't yet been a hive/nest of these things found here in North America, just a couple solitary individuals that could've inadvertantly flew into a cargo container in Japan or whereever. And workers (which are all female) can lay unfertized eggs that can produce drones (males), but to produce more workers you need a queen.; 5/8/20, 9:51 AM
tim maguire said...: This is unsurprising. People are stupid. Even well-educated professional people who's job it is to look past the media hype to what's actually going on often do no better.; 5/8/20, 9:52 AM
Yancey Ward said...: We may have to lock down until these monsters are eliminated. If it saves even one life, it will have been worth it.; 5/8/20, 9:53 AM
Darkisland said...: One more thing for the press to panic us over.

Or perhas I should say one more no-thing.

Remember killer bees? They were gonna kill us all!

Yeah, no.

John Henry; 5/8/20, 9:57 AM
Fernandinande said...: Maybe they saw a tarantula hawk, the New Mexico State Insect. The crazy dog tries to bite 'em.; 5/8/20, 10:00 AM
Spiros said...: I hope it's not like the emerald ash borer (also from Asia). I lost a couple big wonderful trees.; 5/8/20, 10:05 AM
Yancey Ward said...: Ok, so the very first comment beat me to it.; 5/8/20, 10:07 AM
Susan said...: As I look out upon my snow-covered garden I take solace in the fact that it is an inhospitable environment for Murder Hornets.

So I have that going for me, which is nice.; 5/8/20, 10:10 AM
Just asking questions (Jaq) said...: Hornet queens are big and they are on the prowl for sites to build their hives right now. But my favorite story was the one from the NY Post with an insect guy who said we should be more worried about “zombie flies” than murder hornets. “Zombie flies”!; 5/8/20, 10:14 AM
Bob Boyd said...: I saw 'em again!
They were coming back the other way. At first I thought they were gonna just go over the hill and I thought, Good. Keep going. But then they circled around and landed on the lake.
They're probably just thirsty from flapping their wings. They probably won't hang around. Why would they? There's not much here to interest a even a small hornet...I don't think.; 5/8/20, 10:21 AM
Nonapod said...: Coyote Peterson says murder hornet stings are a little more painful than tarantula hawks. He rates the giant desert centipede as the most painful followed by the executioner wasp, bullet ant, then asian giant hornet.; 5/8/20, 10:22 AM
Arashi said...: They have found at least one nest in the Blaine Washington area (or maybe just over the Canadian border in the same area). The local (Washington and Canadian) bee keepers and authorites are concerned as they devastate bee hives as they use the dead bee carcass' for food for their embryonic young.

And we really need a healthy honey bee population, for our own health and welfare.; 5/8/20, 10:29 AM
gerry said...: I heard that these hornets carry Corona virus and can shed it while in flight. You have to maintain 20 feet hornet distancing to avoid infection.

It's true.; 5/8/20, 10:31 AM
Roughcoat said...: I, for one, welcome our Murder Hornet overlords.; 5/8/20, 10:34 AM
Clayton Hennesey said...: "Maybe they saw a tarantula hawk, the New Mexico State Insect. The crazy dog tries to bite 'em."

For those unfamiliar with insects, any large waspish-looking thing will probably be terrifying, but the solid black tarantula hawk resembles the Asian hornet far less than the equally solitary cicada killer

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sphecius_speciosus

which, I suspect, may find itself in the same situations as a turban-wearer immediately after 9/11.; 5/8/20, 10:39 AM
Bill, Republic of Texas said...: Giant Asian Hornet

How racist.; 5/8/20, 11:05 AM
Kevin said...: I appreciate that they are so large. I hate fighting things that so small they are unaffected by shotguns.; 5/8/20, 11:07 AM
Big Mike said...: Repeating a link to a video of one of these Asians giant hornets killing a mouse here. So frankly, I don't think this UW-Mad professor knows what he's talking about.

WARNING: Very graphic video and the mouse suffers terribly.; 5/8/20, 11:42 AM
Ann Althouse said...: “ So frankly, I don't think this UW-Mad professor knows what he's talking about.”

What are you referring to? I suspect you misread something.

And he’s not at Uw-Madison.; 5/8/20, 12:04 PM
Big Mike said...: I suspect you misread something.

I’m certain you’re right.; 5/8/20, 12:38 PM
Fernandinande said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 5/8/20, 1:08 PM
Lurker21 said...: "They're really big hornets, OK, and they have a painful sting, but many, many more people die of honeybees in Japan and China and Asia than murder hornets."

That is what they said about "regular flu" and Covid-19.

Start hunkering.; 5/8/20, 2:03 PM
robother said...: Don't be a Murder Hornet denier!; 5/8/20, 2:21 PM
Readering said...: Gruesome video of mouse attack. I prefer the graphic praying mantis video.; 5/8/20, 3:52 PM
Inga said...: Public Service Announcement

Drinking bug spray won’t protect you from the murder hornets.; 5/8/20, 3:53 PM
FullMoon said...: Public Service Announcement

Drinking bug spray won’t protect you from the murder hornets.

Must be injected, DUH!; 5/8/20, 4:21 PM
Meade said...: Rectally. Double DUH!; 5/8/20, 5:51 PM
Achilles said...: When people die of a bee sting it is one or a few stings and anaphylactic shock.

When they are killed by Asian murder hornets it is painful mass attacks until the person dies.

Apples and oranges.; 5/8/20, 6:31 PM
gbarto said...: When thousands of people are dying from murder hornets in July, we will all look back on articles like this and wonder why the Trump administration didn't take this seriously when Trump was first briefed about murder hornets in April.; 5/8/20, 6:36 PM
Inga said...: To be safe, wear your head to toe heavy duty bee suit while outdoors, especially when jogging. Murder hornets target moving objects.; 5/8/20, 7:13 PM
Big Mike said...: @Inga, I have read that beekeeper suits do not protect one against this hornet’s sting. Apparently its stinger is long enough and sharp enough to poke right through.; 5/8/20, 8:21 PM
MAJMike said...: What's an effective 12 bore shotgun load for Asian Hornet? Asking for a friend.; 5/8/20, 11:23 PM
mikee said...: gbarto makes an interesting point, using murder wasps, about prognosticators.

What is not being done right now, by Trump, by Pelosi, by Biden, that in 3 months or six months will seem with 20/20 hindsight to have been obviously necessary? Make your prediction, we'll check back and see who was right.; 5/9/20, 8:40 AM