Footage from the operation to destroy the nest of killer hornets in the United States amazed users

Asian killer hornets, which began to settle all over the planet a couple of years ago, have already become a problem for some countries. Human deaths from the bites of these huge wasps are rare, but striped monsters are dangerous not only for people. They cause great damage to honey bees, attacking their hives and mercilessly killing hardworking insects that are already on the verge of extinction. Recently, an operation was carried out in the United States to destroy the first nest of Asian hornets and it suddenly turned into a fantastic sight.

The nest, discovered in Washington State, became the first large colony of Asian hornets in the United States. It is believed that these dangerous insects crossed the ocean with the help of sea container ships from China, Japan and Singapore. For the first time, uninvited guests were discovered in the vicinity of the city of Blaine in the fall of 2019, and in May 2020, farmers began to complain about flying predators.

Specialists of the Department of Agriculture (WSDA) have been watching the hornets for several months, trying to calculate their nest, and at the end of October they succeeded. In the vicinity of Blaine, a nest the size of a basketball was found in a hollow tree, which served as a home for a population of hornets numbering from 100 to 200 individuals.

On October 24, an operation was carried out to destroy a nest of Asian hornets, which, according to the WSDA management, was successful and without incident. On October 26, the Washington State Department of Agriculture held a briefing at which journalists were told about the operation and showed spectacular photos and videos taken by Associated Press photojournalist Elaine Thompson.

As it turned out, the fighters with hornets had to not only destroy the nest, but also cut down the tree and take it to the department's base. The empty trunk will be carefully examined from the outside and inside to make sure that there are no hornet larvae left in it, as well as to detect "queens", which, however, could have left the hive before the operation began.

The materials filmed in the forest near Blaine were published by several American publications and quickly spread on the Internet. Users were struck by the appearance of specialists who are engaged in the destruction of the nest. WSDA employees are dressed in unusual spacesuits, similar to the astronauts ' attire. Because of these costumes, red lights and specialized equipment, the operation is similar to the destruction of the larvae of alien monsters from a science fiction movie.

I must say that spacesuits are not an unnecessary precaution at all. The Asian hornet is armed with a sting 6 mm long, which is 4 times longer than the sting of a bee. The usual costumes of beekeepers are a powerful weapon of the killer hornet that breaks through without much difficulty.

Considering that even one bite of a giant wasp can send a person to a hospital bed, and 2-3 will almost certainly kill him, serious attention was paid to protecting people.

An active discussion of the operation immediately began on Twitter, which was not without jokes. Someone recognized the heroes of the photos in their Christmas tree garlands, and someone suggested that they would qualitatively cosplay the characters of the popular game Among Us.

Despite the success of the operation, the WSDA is confident that a complete victory over the killer hornets is far away. Signals about the appearance of giant wasps come not only from Washington state, but also from other regions of the country.