News has been spreading that Giant Asian 'Murder Hornets' have entered the United States and are going to threaten regular bees.
However, at this current moment, the hornets have only been spotted in Washington state and British Columbia, Canada according to Washington State University's Department of Entomology.
After the story gained traction, the Maryland Department of Agriculture gained a number of inquiries about the hornet and posted a message to their Twitter account for the public:
"We have received many calls today about the Asian giant hornet, referred to in media coverage as the 'Murder Hornet.' This insect was found in Washington state in late 2019. We continue to monitor, though it is highly unlikely that the hornet is present in Maryland."
In the meantime, in the hornets' native Japan, they are seen as a delicacy and are "fried on skewers, stinger and all, until the carapace becomes light and crunchy." When eaten, they "leave a warming, tingling sensation."
They are also used to give distilled spirits an extra kick when they are drowned in liquor and release their venom into the drink.
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