The warmer weather brings a flying predator out of hibernation.
Now that springtime is arriving, once again there is concern
that the so-called “murder hornet” plans on staging a return.
It will slaughter honeybees by crushing them within its mandibles;
the fear that it engenders is completely understandable.
Vespa mandarinia is this pest’s name in Latin. It
requires more than a flip-flop (like, a combat boot) to flatten it.
The havoc it can wreak portends its well-earned reputation,
although “murder” is a crime that indicates premeditation.
It’s not the risk of being stung that you or I should dread;
it’s that honeybees can’t pollinate our crops once they are dead.
If you see a murder hornet (they are found in the northwest), it
would behoove you to call pest control – but don’t try to arrest it.
