So obviously don’t try this home.
As if 2020 hasn’t been brutal enough, what with the fears of a third World War, the numerous natural disasters and the global pandemic we are currently enduring, it was just discovered that murder hornets have been spotted in America. As you can probably guess by the terrifying nickname, murder hornets aren’t exactly something we should be excited to find in our own backyard. In fact, if you see one of these buzzing baddies flying at you, you should run in the other direction. While a sting from one murder hornet aka Asian giant hornet aka Japanese giant hornet is not likely to kill you, it will leave you with dizziness, agonizing pain and swelling. If you’re curious as to what those symptoms might look like you’re in luck because YouTuber, Coyote Peterson, actually allowed himself to be stung back in 2018.
For his channel “Brave Wilderness,” Coyote and his crew headed to Japan with the goal of finding the giant hornet to show the effects of its sting. Maybe we should introduce Coyote to knitting or adult coloring books because there are definitely safer hobby options out there. In any event, the crew was successful in their hunt and the YouTuber allowed the two-inch terror to sink it’s stinger into his arm. As soon as the stinger pierced the flesh, which we get to cringe-watch thanks to a good zoom-in, Coyote recoiled and screamed out that he is in “Searing pain! Absolute searing pain!” Followed by the sting, Coyote also recounted an immediate bout of dizziness and then displayed some horrific swelling. Seriously Coyote, if knitting isn’t your thing we can try pottery or tie-dying…
Obviously these big bugs are terrifying to humans but they are also a huge threat to honeybees. The hornets go through a “slaughter phase”…because of course they do…in which they kill honeybees by biting off their heads and feeding them to their young. By now we know just how important honeybees are and we also know how quickly they are declining. If murder hornets thrive here in the states, it could be the final blow to the honeybee population. The shred of silver lining to catching the hornet’s introduction so early is that there is a chance to eradicate them before the population grows out of control according to Washington State Department of Agriculture entomologist Chris Looney. Come on 2020, now’s your chance to redeem yourself!
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