Are these “new” Murder Hornets the same as Japanese hornets we’ve had in the USA for decades?

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We’ve all seen the articles everywhere, but when I look at it, it looks exactly like what I’ve always known to be a Japanese hornet. They’ve been on the east coast since I can remember (just turned 31). I even remember my grandma saying she was stung by one as a kid (she was born in the ‘20s) and that the pain was unimaginable and made her “see stars”.

It’s hard to find a picture in google but the closest thing I saw is an European Hornet. They look pretty similar. Have I been misclassifying these bees my whole life?

In: Biology

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Anonymous 0 Comments

“Murder Hornet” sounded pretty scary until I realized that what it “murders” is bees. Not a good thing overall, but pretty heavy-handed rhetoric. I guess now bats will become “Murder Birds” (Yes, I know bats aren’t birds, but the media probably doesn’t). Then we’ll have “Massacre Rats” and God knows what else. Remember, this name came from the same folks who refer to any weapon with black paint as an “AK- 47”.

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