While the coronavirus pandemic may have put them in the back of people’s minds, murder hornets are preparing to make a comeback in the United States, experts say.
Summer is expected to bring another murder hornet season to the U.S., according to the Washington State Department of Agriculture. A rep for the agency says, “Washington state, British Columbia and U.S. federal agencies are gearing up and collaborating on their plans to track, trap and eradicate any Asian giant hornets they find.”
Murder Hornet Season: Warmer weather is when they thrive, and scientists in the US and Canada are preparing for the next Asian giant hornet season in the summer and fall of 2021. https://t.co/08LsinzQ5Q
— ABC11 EyewitnessNews (@ABC11_WTVD) March 18, 2021
Despite their treacherous-sounding nickname, murder hornets don’t pose a serious threat to people, experts say. However, they’re known to wipe out entire populations of honeybees, often beheading their victims. They then take over the vacated hives and feed on the larva of unborn bees, scientists say.
What would happen if honeybees went extinct?
