So i just got back from washington state a trip that required a lot of logistical navigation. Near there was cova of course but also the wildfires in that part of the country and as former guest host glenn. Fleishman reminded me as soon as i landed in seattle. The murder hornets washington state was the first place that murder hornets were found in the us in late. Two thousand nineteen but this past week officials in washington found and removed another nest. The first one of this year. Now as i said on one of the very first episodes of this show murder hornets or asian giant hornets are nicknamed murder hornets. Because of the destruction that they wreak on other hornets as well as honeybees the colonies of which they can destroy in mere hours despite their shocking size of almost two inches long. They don't pose the same threat to humans. Now i feel like when people hear about murder hornets they envisioned hitchcock in swarms invading city streets as people immediately died from a single sting. It's not that intense. They are still dangerous to humans though murder hornets. Don't bother with humans in less provoked but when provoked they'll sting and while scientific american points out that milligram for milligram. Murder hornet's venom is less toxic than honeybees. The murder hornet is so big that it has a larger dose and crucially. It can sting you over and over again quoting scientific american people stung by the hornets have described the experience as like being stabbed with a hot metal pin the stinger long enough to pierce the standard protective gear. Beekeepers wear a reason article in the new york. Times claims that up to fifty people in japan die from asian giant hornet stings each year and quote. So it's important to route the mounts and important for those doing so to be protected and that note about the stinger being long enough to pierce usual. Beekeeper gear is why if you see any photos or videos of officials removing the nests. They wear thick sifi looking suits. The washington state department of agriculture found the most recent nest from a combination of tracking devices placed on hornets and a resident tip line. They that this nest was three times bigger than the previous one and the hornets were a little more aggressive. The nest was in a rotted alder tree where officials vacuumed up. One hundred and thirteen worker. Hornets in netted sixty seven other hornets from the surrounding area. All told the nest housed nearly fifteen hundred hornets in various stages of development and important to eradicate the nests because the hornets not being native to this part of the world can cause havoc on the ecosystems they invade especially threatening are already dwindling honeybee population. So the odds are you probably won't die from a murder hornet's sting but their presence in north america is unfortunately still fairly concerning..