Home » Analysis & Comment » COMMENTARY: Are the giant ‘murder hornets’ as dangerous as we think?
COMMENTARY: Are the giant ‘murder hornets’ as dangerous as we think?
05/24/2020
Asian giant hornets have received plenty of media attention in recent days, due to the fear that a potentially dangerous invasive species has arrived in North America. In 2019, sightings of the giant hornet — Vespa mandarinia — were reported near White Rock, B.C., and Blaine, Wash., while a nest was destroyed near Nanaimo, B.C.
Although they’ve been harshly labelled “murder hornets” in popular coverage, giant hornets are not particularly aggressive toward humans. There have been several articles now dispelling some of the myths about these impressive creatures. The most important point is that the only tangible threat these hornets pose is to honey bees. The reason that’s concerning has nothing to do with the hornets, and everything to do with us.
The giant hornet is native to Asia, where it evolved as a specialist predator of other social insects, including the local eastern honey bee, Apis cerana. You may know this bee from videos of its workers fending off giant hornets by mobbing them and cooking them to death with heat generated by their flight muscles.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/R5QxUR-mZVM?version=3&rel=1&fs=1&autohide=2&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&wmode=transparent’ allowfullscreen=’true’ style=’border:0;’>This defence evolved over time between two naturally co-occurring species. When humans introduced the European honey bee, Apis mellifera, to East Asia, the giant hornet found an alternative prey that was completely defenceless. Entire colonies of the European honey bee can succumb to a handful of attacking hornets in just a few hours. As an easier target for the giant hornet, the European honey bee quickly became their favourite prey.
Invasiveness is in the eye of the beholder
Even if giant hornets were to gain a foothold in North America — and that’s big if, because numerous entomologists and bug-watchers are on the case — it’s only by ticking one of a few boxes that they might be considered invasive at all. Typically, introduced species are considered invasive if they cause harm to the environment, the economy or to human well-being. Many invasive species, such as zebra mussels and knotweed, do all three.
The giant hornet might cause significant economic harm by attacking managed honey bees, or it might not — we simply don’t know. What we do know is that giant hornets do not travel far to start new nests, making them unlikely to spread quickly. Their spread would likely also be limited by Rocky Mountains and the harsh winters of the prairies.
Low-impact invaders
Regardless of their impact on cultivated honey bees — which can be mitigated using metal screens or grates — the giant hornet may be unlikely to do much harm to native biodiversity.
Fear of murder hornets threatens native species
On top of everything else, there are good reasons not to panic about giant hornets. A number of other invasive insects are of much more immediate concern, such as the spotted lanternfly and brown marmorated stink bug.
As well, overstating the risk posed by giant hornets could put native wasps in danger, especially large, strikingly coloured species like the cicada killer and great golden digger wasp, which seldom sting humans. Both are solitary, ground-nesting species that hunt other insects to provide food for the young. Other large, wasp-like creatures include the non-stinging pigeon horntail, a wood-boring insect, and the elm sawfly, a leaf-eater that looks a bit like a cross between a wasp and a bumble bee.
These species and others like them may already be at risk due to habitat loss and insecticides.
We’d all be much better off if we invested our fear of giant hornets into learning about native insects, and supporting diverse and resilient agricultural systems instead.
Spencer K. Monckton, PhD Candidate, Biology, York University, Canada
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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Home » Analysis & Comment » COMMENTARY: Are the giant ‘murder hornets’ as dangerous as we think?
COMMENTARY: Are the giant ‘murder hornets’ as dangerous as we think?
Asian giant hornets have received plenty of media attention in recent days, due to the fear that a potentially dangerous invasive species has arrived in North America. In 2019, sightings of the giant hornet — Vespa mandarinia — were reported near White Rock, B.C., and Blaine, Wash., while a nest was destroyed near Nanaimo, B.C.
Although they’ve been harshly labelled “murder hornets” in popular coverage, giant hornets are not particularly aggressive toward humans. There have been several articles now dispelling some of the myths about these impressive creatures. The most important point is that the only tangible threat these hornets pose is to honey bees. The reason that’s concerning has nothing to do with the hornets, and everything to do with us.
The giant hornet is native to Asia, where it evolved as a specialist predator of other social insects, including the local eastern honey bee, Apis cerana. You may know this bee from videos of its workers fending off giant hornets by mobbing them and cooking them to death with heat generated by their flight muscles.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/R5QxUR-mZVM?version=3&rel=1&fs=1&autohide=2&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&wmode=transparent’ allowfullscreen=’true’ style=’border:0;’>This defence evolved over time between two naturally co-occurring species. When humans introduced the European honey bee, Apis mellifera, to East Asia, the giant hornet found an alternative prey that was completely defenceless. Entire colonies of the European honey bee can succumb to a handful of attacking hornets in just a few hours. As an easier target for the giant hornet, the European honey bee quickly became their favourite prey.
Invasiveness is in the eye of the beholder
Even if giant hornets were to gain a foothold in North America — and that’s big if, because numerous entomologists and bug-watchers are on the case — it’s only by ticking one of a few boxes that they might be considered invasive at all. Typically, introduced species are considered invasive if they cause harm to the environment, the economy or to human well-being. Many invasive species, such as zebra mussels and knotweed, do all three.
The giant hornet might cause significant economic harm by attacking managed honey bees, or it might not — we simply don’t know. What we do know is that giant hornets do not travel far to start new nests, making them unlikely to spread quickly. Their spread would likely also be limited by Rocky Mountains and the harsh winters of the prairies.
Low-impact invaders
Regardless of their impact on cultivated honey bees — which can be mitigated using metal screens or grates — the giant hornet may be unlikely to do much harm to native biodiversity.
Fear of murder hornets threatens native species
On top of everything else, there are good reasons not to panic about giant hornets. A number of other invasive insects are of much more immediate concern, such as the spotted lanternfly and brown marmorated stink bug.
As well, overstating the risk posed by giant hornets could put native wasps in danger, especially large, strikingly coloured species like the cicada killer and great golden digger wasp, which seldom sting humans. Both are solitary, ground-nesting species that hunt other insects to provide food for the young. Other large, wasp-like creatures include the non-stinging pigeon horntail, a wood-boring insect, and the elm sawfly, a leaf-eater that looks a bit like a cross between a wasp and a bumble bee.
These species and others like them may already be at risk due to habitat loss and insecticides.
We’d all be much better off if we invested our fear of giant hornets into learning about native insects, and supporting diverse and resilient agricultural systems instead.
Spencer K. Monckton, PhD Candidate, Biology, York University, Canada
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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