Tennessee placing traps to catch ‘murder hornets’
KNOXVILLE — There is no evidence that the infamous “murder hornets” have made their way to Tennessee, and the state is hoping it stays that way.
The Tennessee Department of Agriculture is setting up traps between now and July 1 to collect potential murder hornets, known more officially as Asian giant hornets, which have recently made national headlines after coming to the United States.
The hornets will only be collected, of course, if they actually show up in the state.
A small number of these hornets, which slaughter honeybees and can be deadly to humans, have been spotted in Washington. And if they can travel from Asia to the Pacific Northwest, it’s possible they could make their way to Tennessee.
Invasive pests can be transported in wood, shipping containers or soil, according to a news release from TDA.
“Our apiary office is working with beekeepers and citizens in Tennessee to identify any hornets in question,” the release said.
Traps are being placed in Tennessee thanks to funding secured by Tennessee Apiarist Mike Studer. TDA monitors for invasive species year round.
The department did not specify the type of traps that will be used. The news release was issued in lieu of interviews, as the department has received too many requests to handle.
The release did explain the traps being used in Tennessee “collect invasive pests and will be used to monitor for any presence of ( the Asian giant hornet).” These new traps will be placed primarily in Middle Tennessee, where most nurseries are located.
In an interview with WKRN in Nashville, Studer said traps will be placed where plant material comes in. It’s possible that’s how the hornets arrived to the U.S. in the first place.
In Washington, residents have been given official guidance on how to create their own bottle traps for Asian giant hornets.
Spotting an Asian giant hornet
It would take a long time for hornets to fly to Tennessee, said Jennifer Tsuruda, an apiculture expert with the University of Tennessee.
More likely, they would be transported by human movement or through shipments. Fortunately, there’s not too much human movement going on at the moment, she said.
If these hornets do arrive in Tennessee, they could make themselves at home.
Tsuruda told Knox News the hornets nest in the ground and like forested areas — and there are plenty of these areas in Tennessee.
Studer told WKRN he has received more than 100 photos from people who believe they have spotted the hornets in Tennessee. However, it’s European hornets people are actually spotting.
Tsuruda said the designs on the hornets’ abdomen and the color of their heads should help people distinguish between the two.
The Asian giant hornets have not been spotted anywhere in the United States outside of Washington, according to TDA.
‘Just run away’
Chris Looney is an entomologist for the state of Washington, where two Asian giant hornets were spotted. Looney told USA TODAY the hornets are not so dangerous to humans, and they are “probably not going to murder someone.”
His advice if you see one? “Just run away.”
The predator is the largest hornet in the world and kills between 40 and 50 people annually in Japan. Many victims suffer from allergies, but some have died from the potency of the venom alone, Looney said.
“The AGH does not attack people unless it feels threatened,” reads Tennessee’s news release. “The hornets are known to attack and and kill other bees in the late summer when developing males and future queens need extra protein to complete their life cycles.”
This is the only time they attack and kill bees, the release said.
More to worry about than hornets
So, how worried should should you be?
Well, there are other scary bugs all around us.
While experts are worried about Asian giant hornets’ impact on honeybees, bees can be dangerous themselves. In 2015, an Indiana University professor called bees “America’s most lethal animal.”
Black widow spiders have a neurotoxic bite, brown recluse spiders destroy human tissue and mosquitoes have the ability to spread some serious diseases. Even ants can be deadly.
Anyone who believes they have spotted an Asian giant hornet should take clear photos of the hornet and email it to tn.agriculture@tn.gov.
USA TODAY contributed to this report.