It would almost be funny if it weren’t so downright awful. Still, it feels like there’s nothing left to do at this point other than throw up our hands and accept our fate now that the world has thrown both a viral pandemic AND murder hornets at us.

The invasive Asian giant hornet, which originated in east and Southeast Asia, is the perfect villain. Here we were thinking an invisible foe was the scariest thing imaginable – but then these guys came along:

We’d ask “what’s next, nature?” but we really don’t want to know the answer.

Now, there aren’t swarms of murder hornet (which turns out to be an apt nickname) about to swoop down on you every time you go outside, but since a few were discovered in Washington state in 2019, we now know they have invaded North America (or at least Washington state).

The hornets pose the biggest threat to our already suffering honeybee population. And it’s not just a matter of displacing the bees – they downright murder them.

How? By ripping off their heads.

Even scientists find them ridiculously haunting:

“They’re like something out of a monster cartoon…,” said bee breeder Susan Cobey of Washington State University’s Department of Entomology.

At more than 2 inches long, it’s hard to mistake Vespa mandarinia for anything else.

Why are we hearing about this now? Well, because their life cycle started in April. That’s when the queens will have emerged from hibernation. Now they’ll be on the lookout for places to build their nests and establish colonies.

(By the way, those ground nests will be roughly 2 feet wide and could contain hundreds of these things, so you’re going to want to go far in the opposite direction if you think you’ve encountered one.)

Things will be at their worst in late summer and early fall, according to researchers at Washington State University. that’s when the murderous worker bees will be out looking for food and prey and will be beheading honeybees with abandon, tearing out their thoraxes to feed to their young and devouring bee larvae.

Yes, seriously.

In fact, just a few murder hornets can exterminate a hive within hours. Washington beekeepers have already reported checking on their colonies only to unexpectedly find thousands of headless honeybees.

These hornets have really earned their nickname.

Here’s a slightly less terrifying rendering of how their size allows them to easily murder honeybees.

Lest you think this is merely an ecological disaster that could decimate honeybees and change which crops get fertilized, further disrupting our already fragile food chain, there’s more bad news.

In an effort to defend their queen and territory, V. mandarinia will attack you too!

And giant murder wasps have giant stingers – because of course they do.

Have you been stung by a bee before? Well, that hardly prepares you for a big, painful poke from a murder hornet.

According to Washington State University’s Seth Truscott, who works in the College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences, the hornets also inject a potent neurotoxin. That means multiple stings can kill a human, regardless of whether or not they’re allergic to bee stings.

Yes, seriously.

This photo was used in a Washington State Department of Agriculture presentation (and is originally from The Guardian). It depicts an extreme – but rare mass stinging attack:

Citizens have been asked by researchers from the state NOT to try to eradicate or trap the hornets themselves due to the dangers involved. (Also, this is not the kind of creature you’re going to want to swat at – just move away from it.)

Those who live in Washington state can report sightings using the Hornet Watch Report Form. All those outside Washington are asked to contact their state’s Department of Agriculture if they encounter the dangerous creatures.

If you want to stay up to date on news of the hornets, there’s a Facebook group you can join here.

Be sure to scroll down below for an introduction to the species.

But we also understand if you want to forget you’ve ever heard of murder hornets immediately.

Please SHARE this with your friends and family.

Source: CNN, Washington State Department of Agriculture, Washington State University, WSDAgov via YouTube