2020 just got better.
Via NY Post:
They’re back.
Just when we thought the murder hornet scourge had died down, leaving 2020 to come up with some alternate terror, scientists are now predicting that the giant, bee-killing bugs could potentially spread “rapidly” if not contained.
“This could be, if it were to become established, one of the most damaging invasive species that we could almost imagine,” said Washington State University entomologist David Crowder. He helped author the stinging study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Indeed, while the Asian hornet — the largest of its kind at up to 2 inches long — has so far only been spotted in Washington state, it has the potential to establish a foothold in the western US, reports Washington State University.
The team formulated this terrifying theory by analyzing more than 200 records from the insect’s native range in Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. They then used climate data to determine its likely ideal habitat across six continents in a process dubbed “scientific sleuthing.”
“We’re making an educated guess on how fast and far these insects can move, their rate of success in establishing a nest, and offering different scenarios, from least bad to worst,” Javier Illan, WSU entomologist and study author, said of the method. “No one has done this before for this species.”