CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – Thanks to the hype of social media, Murder Hornets have been added to the list of worries for 2020; however, experts say Tennesseans are not at risk of invasion by these giant insects, yet.
According to University of Tennessee Department of Entomology & Plant Pathology professor Dr. Jennifer Tsuruda, only one state has correctly identified the Giant Asian Hornet, aka Murder Hornet.
“Right now we have no reason to believe they’re in any other parts of the US,” she said.
The hornet is getting lots of attention due to its size and its method of, well, beheading bees. In Washington, where the hornets were first discovered in the US, an entire honeybee colony was decapitated in a number of minutes.
Concerned citizens shared photos of what they believe to be the the Giant Asian Hornet. Local beekeeper and ‘swarmchaser’ Jason Groppel has received his share of worried photos as well.
Groppel says that what people are seeing is likely the European Hornet, which looks very similar to the giant Asian hornet and has been native to our area for quite some time. The giant Asian Hornet has not been sighted in this area, and it is highly unlikely for someone in the U.S. to encounter one.
“The only way you could possibly get stung is to travel to Japan and aggravate one of their nests, said Groppel.
The giant Asian hornet itself has only been spotted in North America a few times, with sightings taking place in Washington, British Columbia and Vancouver Island, with the only nest sighting being on Vancouver Island. The individual that destroyed the nest, Conrad Bérubé, was stung seven times in the process.
Experts are working to prevent the hornets from gaining a foothold on the west coast. Through the use of traps, RFID tagging, and thermal imaging, experts hope to locate and destroy nests.
“This is our window to keep it from establishing,” said Chris Looney, an entomologist at the Washington State Department of Agriculture in an interview with The New York Times. “If we can’t do it in the next couple of years, it probably can’t be done.”
“It’s one of those things right now. There’s all kinds of things to be afraid of and this is just one more thing to add fuel to the fire,” said Groppel. “If you talk to the entomologist from Washington State and if you talk to the State of Tennessee Department of Agriculture entomologist, both of them are very clear on this, that it’s nothing to be concerned about.”
Groppel stressed the need for people to remain calm and trust experts to do their jobs.
“The beekeepers and the entomologists of our state are really on the ball. We have our forums in which we communicate. We share information each day. We will, without reservation, make sure this information is made available as it comes to us, and there’s nothing to be afraid of at this time. I feel strongly that the state of Washington is going to take care of this.”
The state will be setting traps as a precaution. The traps were originally scheduled for July, but will now be placed in May.
If citizens believe they have an insect in their yard that needs identification, contact the Extension office at 931-648-5725 or email pictures to kkean@utk.edu, renorman@utk.edu or jevans1@utk.edu and they can send the images to a diagnostics lab in Nashville for positive identification.
Karla Kean, with the UT Extension office, cautions against the use of pesticides to protect against bees or hornets.
“Bees, hornets and wasps are all beneficial insects, until one stings you! We do not recommend using pesticides to kill honeybees,” said Kean.
If you are looking for safe over the counter methods to rid your yard of an infestation, see the UT Extension reference here. If you have a swarm that needs to be removed, contact the Montgomery County Beekeepers Association and they will remove the bees.