Take a deep breath folks.
https:// Calling this insect a “murder hornet,” a moniker that has come up seemingly overnight, is really inaccurate and unnecessary.com//
https:// The Washington State Department of Agriculture has already posted announcements warning people to stop killing random bees they see, thinking they are these giant hornets. Apparently people are killing bumblebees, which breaks my heart because they LOOK NOTHING LIKE A HORNET.
If you think you see one, TAKE A PICTURE OR VIDEO and get the fuck away from it.com//
Ugly lookin' hornets!
You touched upon one of my pet peeves - folks in the midwest tend to call all kinds of things "bees" when in fact they are not bees. Yellow jackets come to mind - sooooo many people here call them bees. I'm like 'Those are NOT bees - they are wasps. They are born pissed off" as opposed to the mostly docile honeybees and bumblebees. If somebody in Nebraska tells you they were stung by a bee then more than likely they were stung by a yellow jacket.
Growing up down south we had hornets. They were not to be trifled with. Ironically - these are the European hornets. We would occasionally come upon a hornet's nest while out in the woods.
Some of these hornets were found near Blaine Washington. They are dangerous and kill other bees. There is a huge difference between a bumble bee and this hornet. People who can't see this are really fools. A row of Ceonothus in front of my house are full of bumble bees and I often work there with them buzzing all around me. They are mostly harmless and won't sting unless one actively threatens them.
Thank you for educating people. It never occurred to me people would kill bumble bees. smh
The fat little Bumblebee is in the lower right. how can anyone with half an ounce of sense confuse them with the hornet???