The Daily The Arrival of the ‘Murder Hornet’
May 8, 2020
Mike Baker, a Pacific Northwest correspondent for The New York Times, teams up with Ted McFall, a Washington beekeeper and first responder to the 'murder hornet' crisis. They discuss the alarming arrival of the Asian giant hornet in the U.S., which decapitates honeybees and threatens food supply. McFall shares his encounters with these deadly invaders, the innovative traps being developed, and the urgent need to capture hornet queens. The conversation highlights the ecological impact and the resilience of bees, drawing parallels to societal challenges faced during crises.
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Decapitated Bees
- Ted McFall, a lifelong beekeeper, discovered thousands of decapitated bees outside his hive.
- He was bewildered by the carnage and the lack of any dead predators.
Murder Hornet Attack
- Asian giant hornets, nicknamed "murder hornets," are native to Asia and kill honeybees by decapitation.
- They target the bee's thorax to feed their young, leaving the honey untouched.
First Sighting
- The first confirmed U.S. sighting was thanks to a man who saw a dead hornet on his porch.
- He recognized it from a YouTube video and reported it to authorities.