Updated on 05/05/2020 at 20:20
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The appearance of some hornets in the United States in early May has generated great alarm among citizens, who in addition to staying alert to the spread of the new coronavirus (COVID-19), must now also pay attention to the presence of these small and dangerous insects.
But Why are they causing shock? Well, many consider that these could sting them and cause allergies or, in the worst case, something more serious. Especially since the size of the ones that appeared in Washington state is bigger than normal and big looking, suggesting that it would be commonly known as killer wasps.
Although the sting of most of these insects does not lead to the death of their victims, in the case of those that appeared in the North American country, they could cause the death of people, especially due to the current situation.
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To prevent people from panicking, the portal The opinion published an article in which he shows how to differentiate a common wasp from a murderer; so pay close attention.
Wasps
The wasps They are hymenopteran insects. Many fear them because they could sting them. The term hornet is usual for the small ones, while the big ones are known as hornets.
Hymenoptera constitute one of the most numerous orders of insects, with about 200,000 species. In addition to wasps, this order includes bees, bumblebees, and ants, among others. The name comes from its membranous wings.
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NORMAL WASPS VS. KILLING WASP
Normal wasps
- Most wasps are black and yellow, although there are some that are black and white, such as the bald-faced hornet.
- They are smaller, their size can range from 1 cm to 1.5 cm, although their queen reaches 0.75 inches (almost 2 cm).
- They can be identified by their distinctive markings, their appearance only in colonies, and a characteristic flight pattern: fast and side-to-side before landing somewhere.
- All females are able to bite and those known as yellow jackets are important predators of pest insects.
- They can be mistaken for bees by color, however they are not covered with dense light brown hair on their bodies, they do not carry pollen and they do not have the flat, furry hind legs that are used to carry it.
Killer Wasps
- The giant Asian wasp, better known as the killer wasp, is larger in size. It can get to measure almost 5 centimeters and with the wings extended up to 3 inches (7.6 cm); and its stinger is 0.24 inches (6 millimeters).
- It has a large yellow head with large eyes, yellow lines are darker, and the tone of the rest of the body is more brown than black.
- The hornet prefers to live in mountainous forests, although it also prefers rural areas where it can find trees to nest.
- If these wasps find a hive of European honey bees, they reach kill them by beheading them and dismembering them.
- They can be very aggressive if provoked. Its poison attacks the nervous system and damages the tissue of its victims; reason why being bitten by one of them is extremely painful and may require hospitalization; since they can cause anaphylactic shock in allergy sufferers, but it can still be lethal for non-allergy sufferers depending on the amount of poison that has entered the victim’s body.
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