As “vigils” begin to be held for the thousands of honey bees lost due to Asian green hornet attacks, news out of National Geographic hints payback is coming.
For years, the Japanese Honey Bees (Apis cerana japonica) have been able to outsmart the hornet and survive attacks that their European brethren failed to….how? …by “frying” the scout hornet before it returns with their army.
In 2012, researchers found “neuronal activity” that may play in a role in how the honey bees communicate with each other to form a “hot defensive bee ball.”
How it works is the bees wiggle their tushes, or twerk, as a signal to other bees to start vibrating. The collective vibration increases surrounding heat.
The average hornet cannot live in temperatures past 115 degrees F, but this “bee ball” can raise the “firestorm” to 117- 118 degrees F, thereby “cooking” the predator, eliminating the need to sting it.
But how do they prevent a hornet attack? Usually there is a “scout” that investigates where a nice juicy colony hides. The honey bees wait until it gets close enough and then swarms it. If it kills the scout, there is no one to report back to the mothership.
National Geographic demonstrates the gruesome bake below:
Now European and North American honeybees need to get the memo before swarms of hornets decimate them. Natures finds a way to survive, even if it involves twerking….
______________________________________________________________________________________
Japanese “Murder Hornets” Have Reached the US
WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT
Two inch long “Murder Hornets” are frightening the bee and human population here in the US as they “decapitate” their insect prey, risking devastation to millions of honey bees.
Vespa mandarinia, or the Asian green hornet, is a large insect, native to East Asia, and known to kill 50 humans a year in Japan alone.
Now reports of its presence in the Northwest US have people buzzing. Allegedly they’ve been sighted in Washington and British Columbia since early winter.
They’ve been reported to deliver seven times the amount of venom as a honey bee, and their stinger can pierce a beekeeper’s suit.
This video above was taken in 2018 shows a hornet take out a mouse in less than a minute.
Hives of honey bees have been decimated by these killer hornets, with many having been “decapitated.”
According to BBC Earth Unplugged, the killer hornets wait for tired honey bees to arrive back to their hive and hijack them midair. They then use their jaws to decapitate them and bring the rest of the body back to their nest to feed their young.
Washington State University’s (WSU) Agricultural and Natural Resources Extension Program Unit is educating Washington state locals on how to identify nests and report them so the agency can destroy them.
How they came to the US or whether they will migrate to other parts of the country is unknown.
The Asian green hornet does not hunt humans but trappers are urged to use caution as they help Washington state trap and eradicate them.
This is a developing story….
_________________________________________________________________________________
It’s Bee Season: Tips to Stay Safe
As flowers begin to bloom, bees get busy.
Spring season marks the start of bee season. And those who might be allergic to them need to prepare.
5-7.5% of the population is severely allergic to bees, meaning having severe allergic reactions or anaphylaxis, in which they can stop breathing or die.
However, most stings may be mild. Here are your questions answered.
What is bee venom?
Bee venom is clear, colorless and bitter. It’s injected when a bee feels threatened and is comprised of various proteins and enzymes that can cause inflammation and also prevent one’s blood from clotting. These proteins can induce an allergic response in a human. Unlike a severe allergic reaction that can ensue, the venom itself is rarely fatal as it would take multiple bee stings to inject a lethal enough dose for a human.
One report cited 90 stings for a small child and up to 600 stings for an adult to reach lethal levels of bee venom, however, so running into a bee-hive, for example, could put one at risk for venom toxicity.
How do you treat a bee sting?
Mild bee stings can be cared for by the following:
- clean the area of the sting with soap and water
- use cool compresses (not ice) to decrease swelling and pain
- medications such as antihistamines or corticosteroid creams if suggested by one’s medical provider
Also make sure your tetanus shot is up to date…before a sting happens ideally.
For severe reactions, however, you would need to call 911 or seek immediate medical assistance.
What are severe bee sting reactions?
Symptoms of severe reactions to a bee sting may include the following:
- itching
- difficulty swallowing
- difficulty breathing
- swelling of lips, tongue or throat
- severe swelling of sting area
- dizziness
- rapid heart rate
- feeling faint
- abdominal pain
- chest pain
- headache
- nausea
- vomiting
- diarrhea
Please note these symptoms do not have to occur immediately after the sting but can occur hours or even days later. Contact a medical professional immediately or call 911 if you feel you are having a severe allergy.
Bee Stings Can Kill by Inducing Heart Attacks
Avoiding Bee Stings – If you don’t bug the bee…
There’s some truth in the saying “If you don’t bug the bee, the bee won’t bug you.”
Bees usually just want to do their business….collect nectar. So if you aren’t sweet and flowery, they may not want to go near you. That being said, however, don’t be sweet and flowery. Perfume, sugary drinks, vape scents may attract the bees to you, so use caution.
When outside, avoid walking barefoot, so use socks and shoes. Wear long shirts and pants to cover exposed skin.
Avoid wearing bright colors but also avoid dark colors. Pale, non vibrant clothes are the least attractive to a bee.
Bees may hide from the sun and predators in plants, trees and under objects so avoid disrupting what could be a possible hiding place.
If you believe you may be severely allergic to a bee sting, contact your medical provider to see if you need an Epi-Pen prescription to have on hand.
What is an Epi-Pen?
The EpiPen® auto-injector contains epinephrine, used during an emergency to treat severe allergic reactions, or anaphylaxis.
If one is allergic to an insect or food, a severe allergic reaction may ensue upon exposure, in which the immune system releases a flood of chemicals that can cause throat tightness, hives, lip and facial swelling, difficulty breathing, nausea, vomiting, low blood pressure, rapid heart rate, cardiac arrest and possibly death.
Epinephrine stimulates the heart to increase cardiac muscle contractility, cardiac output, subsequently raising the blood pressure. Additionally it relaxes the muscles surrounding the airways, allowing one to breathe easier and take in more oxygen. Moreover it helps to stop the release of additional immune chemicals.
The EpiPen® is manufactured by Mylan. Its cost made headlines when the EpiPen two-pack recently stickered for close to $600. Now generic forms are available costing anywhere from $109-$300 for a dual pack.
The disposable auto-injector, for an adult, delivers 0.3 mg of epinephrine, while the EpiPen Jr., used in pediatric populations, delivers 0.15mg of the medication. It can be self-administered, through clothing if necessary, into the thigh muscle in one smooth movement once the safety release is removed.
After 0.3 ml is administered during the single adult dose, the EpiPen® unit is discarded.
Dr. Daliah 
Leave a comment