Murder hornets scared the whole United States a few years ago with their first appearance in Washington State. Do you remember news reports from just a few years ago?
The good news is these hornets are still a long way from East Tennessee.
The common name of these so-called murder hornets is the northern giant hornet. They are the largest species of hornets in the world. Northern giant hornets are 1.5 to 2 inches in size. The northern giant hornet was first identified in Washington State in 2019. There were sightings and suspected sightings, and four nests were eradicated in 2020 and 2021. However, by the end of 2022, there were no confirmed Northern giant hornets detected.
As the months grow warmer, insect specimens are submitted to the Extension office every year. They’re gigantic hornets. There are concerns the northern giant hornet has made its way to Tennessee.
However, the northern giant hornet has not been reported in the state of Tennessee yet. The most common lookalike is the European hornet as pictured. European hornets are not native, and have been in the US since the 1800s.
Although they are large, European hornets are still smaller than the Northern giant. The identifying characteristic that distinguishes the European hornet is the pattern of their stripes on their abdomen. It looks to me as if an artist, took a paint brush and brushed it, just down those stripes, creating a jagged pattern. These jagged marks also resemble a teardrop as the band color changes from yellow to brown/black. The European hornet is about half the size of a northern giant at 1 to 1.5 inches long. Northern Giant hornets have more defined yellow and brown alternating bands on their abdomen.
Regardless of the type, hornets are dangerous insects with a toxic sting that can inflict harm to humans, other insects such as honeybees, and animals. They can be very aggressive and deadly in large numbers. Avoid them as much as possible.