blogged by @_cierra.jones
The Post was recently notified by several experts to be wary of the Asian hornet, also known as the “murder hornet.” The insect has garnished its nickname for its killing of an average of 50 people a year in Japan. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
According to reports, the hornet has made its way to the United States. Its first sighting was in Washington in December 2019. Experts believe it came to the states by means of a ship from China.
Former Police Department beekeeper Anthony “Tony Bees” Planakis shared his thoughts on the deadly Asian insect.
“I told the NYPD back in 2012 … ‘Your problem is not the bees, Planks said. [The murder hornet] is your problem […] I showed them a picture of it, and they go, ‘What the hell is that?… I go, ‘That is an Asian hornet. My suit is useless against that thing.’”
When asked if the hornet poses a threat to humans, Planakis replied: “Absolutely. Oh, my God. [..] Have you seen the mandibles on these things?”
He describes the insect as just a little bit bigger than a cicada.
“You’ll see the tip of the stinger, but it’s not until it actually extends the stinger out that it goes into your skin. And they’re meat-eaters. … They’ll go after birds, small sparrows if they have to.”
The former beekeeper notes that the within in the hornet’s venom is a scent that attracts other hornets.
“You can get swarmed just from getting stung by one. The worst thing anyone can do with these things is [to] kill them. That scent is going to be airborne, and the rest of the hive will come.”
In comparison to honeybees, Planakis admits the sting can be very painful, but unlike bees that can only sting once, the hornets are capable of stinging someone multiple times.
By Planakis estimates, the hornets is expected to make their way East within the next two to three years.
