Home World The United States destroyed the “killer bee” nest: 200 queen bees have been found but it is not known if they will escape again
The United States destroyed the "killer bee" nest: 200 queen bees have been found but it is not known if they will escape again

The United States destroyed the “killer bee” nest: 200 queen bees have been found but it is not known if they will escape again

by YCPress

The United States destroyed the “killer bee” nest: 200 queen bees have been found but it is not known if they will escape again

November 11 Washington scientists destroyed in the United States found the first group to “kill hornets’ nest, they found about 500 living specimens at different stages of development, Among them are nearly 200 queen bees.

Destroy the “killer bumblebee” nest. (Source: Washington State Department of Agriculture)

According to CBS news on the 10th, the local government said that it was a “critical moment”, but this did not eliminate the threat of this huge insect, which can cause suffering but is rarely fatal. Stings and can destroy other local hive. Scientists believe that other nests already exist, indicating that it is impossible to know if any queen bees escaped until the first nest is destroyed.

Caught worker bee, queen bee. (Source: Washington State Department of Agriculture)

According to reports, the Asian hornet (Vespa mandarinia) is the world’s largest 2-inch hornet. It can destroy the entire hive of bees and cause stinging to humans. Washington State first recorded this invasive insect growing in Japan, Thailand, South Korea, Vietnam and other Asian countries at the end of last year. Despite the name of “killing bumblebees,” they kill up to dozens of people in Asia each year, and experts say this number may be much less. 

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also stated that bumblebees, wasps and bees commonly found in the United States kill an average of 62 people each year. 

Entomologist Sven-Erik Spichiger stated that the real threat of wasps is their devastating attack on the hive of bees, and the time of the year to attack the hive is approaching, which he calls the “slaughter stage.”

Hive removal site. (Source: AFP)

According to reports, the first “killer bumblebee” nest was found and destroyed in a tree in Whatcom County on the border between the United States and Canada in late October. The nest is about the size of a basketball. At the time, state scientists trapped several hornets and stuck radio tags on them so that the device could follow the hornet back to the nest.

Officials from the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) recently released a video showing the arrested queen bee crawling in a vial. WSDA said that when the nest was opened, most of the specimens were still alive, and the program plans to continue capturing bumblebees for at least three years to determine that there are no “killer bumblebees” in the area.

The first Asian hornet was found in the state a year ago and was caught in July of that year. Later, several more were arrested in Whatcom County. The “Killer Bumblebee” was also found in British Columbia, Canada. Pichig said that it is impossible to determine how the hornet reached the area, but the local government’s goal is to eliminate the hornet before it can stabilize and spread.