Murder hornets cross Canadian border

Murder hornets were seen in North America earlier in May, and a siting was made in Vancouver.

The murder hornet has a wingspan of up to seven centimetres and and a legendary painful sting.

"Recently, a specimen of the Asian Giant Hornet (AGH) Vespa mandarinia was found and collected just south of Langley," writes Van Westendorp.

"The Langley find indicates that AGH may have established nests farther into the Fraser Valley than had been anticipated. It is expected that more sightings will be reported."

An autopsy and DNA sequencing will be performed on the bee to allow them to determine whether or not the specimen was a queen or a worker and also likely its origin. Previously the closest murder hornets had come to Canada was in Blaine, Washington.

"As nests increase in size, AGH is expected to increase its predation on honeybees," writes Van Westendorp, who is also requesting that anyone else who may have photographs or future sightings to contact him.

So far, several people in Ontario have claimed to have spotted murder hornets however there has been no confirmed documentation of their presence in the province.

Despite their menacing name, the insects feast primarily off a diet of honey bees and other insects and thus the moniker "murder hornets" but in reality they are of little threat to humans.

Retired University of Guelph professor Dr. Gard Otis recounted a time when he was once amongst a swarm of 20 giant hornets without protection and could easily push them away with his hands, saying that while out foraging the hornets are actually quite docile.

Dr. Otis said that a single hornet is unlikely to sting someone unless they were trying to capture it or interfere with what it was doing, it's only if one encounters a colony of hundreds or even thousands and disturb their nest that it would pose a serious threat.

"That would be really bad. I wouldn't want to be there when that happens," said Dr. Otis.