Maryland Officials Say It's 'Highly Unlikely' That 'Murder Hornet' Is Here

Maryland Officials Say It’s ‘Highly Unlikely’ That ‘Murder Hornet’ Is In The State

Praise 104.1

Source: Fernando Trabanco Fotografía / Getty

The Maryland Department of Agriculture said it received many calls on Monday about the so-called ‘murder hornet’ after reports spotted the insect in Washington state–the first supposed spotting in the U.S..

“We continue to monitor, though it is highly unlikely that the hornet is present in Maryland,” the department tweeted Monday.

Vespa mandarinia, the Asian giant hornet, has been known to kill up to 50 people a year in Japan. That’s according to the New York Times.

“One of the reasons it’s so frightening is the sheer amount of venom it can inject and the amount of times it can sting,” said entomologist Samuel Ramsey with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Scientists do not know how the hornets made it to the U.S. yet.

Maryland’s Department of Agriculture told residents if anyone has found a suspicious insect on their property, to send pictures to ppwm.mda@maryland.gov.

Source: CBS Baltimore

Sign Up For Our Newsletter!