What to Do If the ‘Murder Hornets’ Reach the SouthCoast

What an absolute trainwreck 2020 has been so far and it's only May.

From World War 3 concerns to Kobe Bryant's devastating death to a COVID-19 worldwide pandemic – and now the latest news of giant hornets that seems to be getting all the buzz.

Yes, you read that correctly, giant hornets that have made their way onto American soil for the very first time from their Japanese homeland.

These Japanese Giant Hornets, or Vespa mandarinia japonica, were appropriately given the nickname "Murder Hornets" for multiple reasons, according to WSU college of agricultural, human and natural resource sciences, Seth Truscott:

1. "Murder Hornets" are approximately two inches long, the largest of its species.
2. It shreds apart other bees smaller than itself to eat the larvae for protein.
3. The sting alone is one of the fiercest and most painful out of all hornet and bee stings and has been compared to "hot tacks being driven into your flesh."
4. Even if you're not allergic to bees or hornets, there are enough neurotoxins in each sting to kill a human if stung multiple times.

These devilish monsters are very intriguing, so I needed to find out more. I reached out to a few local beekeepers here on the SouthCoast who have some experience around wasps and hornets.

"Our most common (hornet) is the white face hornet, very mean in their own right," said John Wiemann, co-owner and beekeeper of Taunton's Brothers Bees. "The new murder hornets from Japan, oh they are awful. Two stings and most of us are dead. What to do if you encounter one is to remove yourself from the area and if stung, get to the doctors ASAP. If you know you will have an allergic reaction, have epi-pens or Benadryl handy, and if you get stung by a murder hornet call 911."

Alright, I get it, these things suck. I needed to prepare myself if I ever came across one, so I found another local expert with a little bit of insight on proper extermination.

"The best way to remove a nest is to torch it, but be sure to do it around dusk or night time," said Kimberly Pavao Botelho of K&K Acres in Swansea. " I don’t believe in spraying chemicals around, it will kill other beneficial insects."

Well folks, there you have it. Yet another thing to worry about and stress over, just what 2020 needed. Just make sure not to aggravate these murder hornets if you accidentally run into them and most importantly, "bee" careful.

See what I did there? You wouldn't "bee-lieve" how long it took me to come up with such pathetic puns such as these.