Not bees but Asian Hornets

[beagle]

None here yet but the news says they're in the US. May have to step up to a heavier "bee" load for these babies. Wonder if a food chopper will chop rice into smaller chunks for slightly longer range? Then, will have to go to the .45 Colt for a magnum payload. I've shot bee loads in the .45 Colt so that shouldn't be a problem.
Just thinking ahead fellers./beagle

[country gent]

Maybe a crank style coffee grinder set to what you wanted would give you what you need.

Buy a 2 1/2" judge and load them with rice as is.

Could 45-70 or 444 marlin cases be modified to work? Rims turned and cut to cylinder length. Sized so the neck fits in the chamber throat.

[country gent]

Really show your skills Beagle use a light wax bullet and shoot them out of the air. :kidding:

[trails4u]

I've been known to break out the .50 ML for longer range work..... [smilie=1:

[fivegunner]

If they come to Mi. I`ll use my 10 inch contender with # 9 shot those bees look nasty.

[Bulldogger]

As big as they are I would lean towards .22 short, with the second round in the magazine .22lr...

[Mytmousemalibu]

I honestly don't think they are going to be a problem here in the US, doubt they take hold. Hopefully the entomologists can eradicate them if there are more.

I watch a guy on the youtube that has been stung my most of the worst stinging critters. Apparently these are capable of a really nasty sting.

[Drm50]

These hornets should not be played with. If you run across one make sure you kill it, not play games. They will wipe out honey bees if left to multiply. China is the gift that keeps on giving. Customs keeps getting lax because of pressure to keep goods moving.

[Prcshooter]

Yeah, them things look nasty.

[TNsailorman]

You guys are going to give those Hornets a filed day. They communicate with signals through the airways and when one is in trouble or finds a honeybee hive, the signal goes out and thousand will answer the call. I saw a National Geographic 2 hour special on them in Japan a few years ago and they are deadly to humans, animals and other species that produce honey. They will even attack machinery when it gets too close to their hive. The documentary showed a picture of a backhoe that was so covered with those Hornets that you could hardly see the paint on it. james

[murf205]

If they make it to Alabama I am in trouble. Only 2 yellow jacket stings put me in anaphylatic shock last summer. I lost consiousness but managed to call 911 before I did. I woke up with the paramedics telling the ambulance driver to hurry because my B/P was 50/30! I carry an epi pen n ow every where I go. I sure hope they get them out of the north west before they discover the sunny south!

[Three44s]

I am in Central WA, I really hope they get them all but I really doubt that they can.

There is some modern technology that is likely to help some. One item is miniature satelite tracking as these hornets are so large they can fly back to their nest with one attached to them. They are putting out live traps out for them and training bee keepers to also do their part.

Special heavy duty bee suits are on order from the Orient for our Department of Ag folks to use when they go in to exterminate them.

Drones with thermal imaging will likely come into play to some extent as they generate enough temperature in the ground or in a tree trunk (at the entrance, 86 degrees) that in cooler weather the nest can be pin pointed.

All that said, the enormity of the situation makes this fight pretty grim in my opinion. The forests of the PAC NW are pretty large and thick.

Three44s

[pashiner]

12 gauge shotgun shells full of corn meal, grits, or rice are my go-to for stinging swarming insects. You can get quite a payload in those things if you cut down the wad to just a gas seal, and then reduce the powder charge by about half.
I know it's not a pistol cartridge, but if you were to shoot them out of a PGO "firearm" like a shockwave, tac-14, or m500 cruiser, I suppose you could call it a sort of pistol. Cleans out the barrel awfully well.

[444ttd]

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/images/attach/jpg.gif

[Winger Ed.]

They communicate with signals through the airways and when one is in trouble the signal goes out and thousand will answer the call.


Ya don't hear much about them anymore, but killer bees would do that.
When one tore its stinger off, or you smashed one, the phermone smell would go out and the rest of them would
'come to the funeral'.

[TNsailorman]

I just got off the internet watching a praying mantis eat a Japanese Hornet(murder hornet). That Hornet never had a chance. The real eye opener was that the hornet wast still trying to sting the mantis after 3/4 of his head had been eaten by the mantis. BTW, the Japanese Hornet can get up to 3" long. That is a big hornet. Tough dudes. james

[Three44s]

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/images/attach/jpg.gif

Not so:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sphecius_speciosus


https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asian_giant_hornet


Different as day and night

There is also confusion about the Asian Hornet that has invaded Spain, France and possibly the UK. That is a different hornet than the Giant Asian Hornet that has just surfaced here in Washington State.

The one that has invaded Europe builds nests on tree limbs and buildings. The species that WA now has some nests from is a ground or hollow tree nest builder and as bad as the version now found in Europe, the one in WA is much worse.

Three44s

[TNsailorman]

Yes, those that were shown on this site are much smaller and choir boys compared to the /Japanese Asian Hornet.

[pacomdiver]

those hornets have been around for years, saw them in north carolina back in 2007, they would be attracted to the lights at night, nasty ********. they were a over 2 inches long. had some in a hollowed out tree at end of my driveway here in PA about 2 years ago, got attacked while walking out to mailbox, got stung on top of my head, saw the dead tree it flew back to, went inside got 12 gauge and buckshot, put muzzle to hole and pulled trigger, blew the back of the tree out, there were 100s crawling on ground dazed, 2 days nest was empty and lots of dead ones on ground, obviously they took the hint to GTFO

[Three44s]

those hornets have been around for years, saw them in north carolina back in 2007, they would be attracted to the lights at night, nasty ********. they were a over 2 inches long. had some in a hollowed out tree at end of my driveway here in PA about 2 years ago, got attacked while walking out to mailbox, got stung on top of my head, saw the dead tree it flew back to, went inside got 12 gauge and buckshot, put muzzle to hole and pulled trigger, blew the back of the tree out, there were 100s crawling on ground dazed, 2 days nest was empty and lots of dead ones on ground, obviously they took the hint to GTFO

You are likely referring to the European Hornet not the Giant Asian Hornet.

Best regards

Three44s

[Drm50]

I think you Bee shooters better switch to copper solids, one of these Hornets wounded could charge.

[am44mag]

None here yet but the news says they're in the US. May have to step up to a heavier "bee" load for these babies. Wonder if a food chopper will chop rice into smaller chunks for slightly longer range? Then, will have to go to the .45 Colt for a magnum payload. I've shot bee loads in the .45 Colt so that shouldn't be a problem.
Just thinking ahead fellers./beagle

I believe that I read somewhere that when killed, these hornets release a hormone that alerts other hornets of a threat and attracts them to the dead hornet's location.

You might just want to leave them bee (you see what I did there? :P).

[Winger Ed.]

I just got off the internet watching a praying mantis eat a Japanese Hornet(murder hornet). That Hornet never had a chance.

Pound for pound, the praying mantis is about the badest predator on the planet.

If they shared the world, and were the same size as a velociraptor- they would have eaten them too.

[Three44s]

I believe that I read somewhere that when killed, these hornets release a hormone that alerts other hornets of a threat and attracts them to the dead hornet's location.

You might just want to leave them bee (you see what I did there? :P).

That chemical release is pretty much across the board with the “dinger bugs” because it calls their buddies to the fight!

The yellow jacket trap with the pungent chemical you use for bait is a synthetic form of their fight chemical and that is why it is a good idea to put it out early before they get to flying in the morning. Also sanitation as you dispense it is important so as to not attract them to your hands etc. I wear disposable latex gloves and vigorously wash any utensils that come in contact with the bait.

Three44s

[rbuck351]

Maybe I'm just not a nice guy but if I run into any of these or any other nasty stinging critters I prefer chemical warfare. If raid doesn't work I'm betting I can find some other poison that will. Gasoline from a weed sprayer works pretty good on yellow jackets and you can light it if needed.

[Three44s]

Actually, heat is a weakness with the Giant Asian Hornet, seriously!

In Japan their honey bees lure a hornet scout into the hive, then block the entrance. They all at once pounce on it encasing it and begin beating their wings. This raises the temperature to above 115 degrees F and generates excessive CO2 in the middle of the “ball”. The honey bees die at 122 degrees but the murder hornet cooks at 115. Several honey bees die in the process as well but to the hive it is a smaller price to pay than to allow the scout to go back and bring it’s “buddies” and wipe out the entire colony.

This is all fine and dandy in Japan but our bees have no experience with this adaptation. It is my understanding that the Japanese bees are nowhere near as productive as ours.

Three44s

[FLHTC]

Lol Lol Lol There is a reason why they haven’t been here in 200 years. Simply because, they could not survive in this climate. It’s amazing how many people faithfully follow the media, and believe every word they say. I’m surprised no one wonders why these killer hornets have never been mentioned before. They are the same as Covid toes. Lol lol Lol

[Reverend Al]

https://i.imgur.com/Eqfi4RM.jpg

[Tokarev]

I saw hornets on both sides of the Atlantic. Up here in Canada they are larger than that half-dozen on someone's palm. They also have blaze orange spots here. In my experience, they ignore humans. If the asian "killer hornet" has different colors then it is a different species. As to the load for them, millet should work fine. I would even forego the shot container and load a full case of it on top of a stack of wads and a reduced load, like 20 gr of HS6.

[BAGTIC]

More media B.S.. Made up stories to excite the gullible like so much 'news' today. If they were a threat to honeybees there would not be any honeybees in China but there are. If they were a threat to man there would not be 1.5 billion Chinese.

As a former beekeeper I know that regular honeybees are motivated to attack by the scent of a crushed comrade. Did anyone notice that the 'killer bee' phenomenon seemed limited to areas with high incidence of malaria where many people are using quinin? I was once mass attacked by regular honeybees that focused on my head where I was using a quinine based hair tonic. I switched brands and there were no repeat occurrences.

"If it bleeds it leads' still remains the motto of the 'news' media.

[Tokarev]

Supposedly Asian bees evolved into developing a method to fight the Asian hornets by swarming and heating them up. North American bees supposedly do not have such ability.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asian_giant_hornet#Native_honey_bees
My problem with the linked above picture is that Asian hornets depicted in the Wiki article have none of the yellow/orange stripes, while those in the news stories have orange stripes typical to North-American hornets. Something does not add up.

[centershot]

Maybe I'm just not a nice guy but if I run into any of these or any other nasty stinging critters I prefer chemical warfare. If raid doesn't work I'm betting I can find some other poison that will. Gasoline from a weed sprayer works pretty good on yellow jackets and you can light it if needed.

Great minds think alike!

[Tokarev]

A tiger torch works as well.

[sniper]

That's better! Farcebook has a post that had been photoshopped, showing the Hornets long enough to extend from one side of the palm to the other. They were laid across the hand as shown in the photo. Those shown are large enough, they don't need "enhancement"!

[popper]

Rev Al - got another spare 'hornet' for me?

[Ozark mike]

https://youtu.be/xvPk7EXxdUE

[303Guy]

In my parts we have this black and yellow striped furry hornet or bee looking thing which I thought was a bee because it was furry. One day I swept a bunch of sawdust off my saw into my hand and as I closed my hand I felt a prick and burning in the base of a finger. It dropped the dust and out crawled one of of these furry 'bees'. Still thinking it was a bee I took it outside and let it go. OK, so I now know it was a hornet (the fact that it did not lose it's stinger in my finger was a clue) but these things are not aggressive and the sting did not hurt much but then I'm basically immune to wasp and hornet sting anyway. Some wasps I don't feel at all. Bee sting on the other hurt plenty bad!

I only bother to kill wasps and hornet (whichever they are) because they don't belong here and compete with our indigenous fauna. I'm going to be baiting them this year.

[Winger Ed.]

Rev Al - got another spare 'hornet' for me?

I hope I'm wrong, but I think he passed away not too long ago.

[popper]

Ed - Yea, I forgot that. Couldn't afford the gas anyway but - woulda been fun.

[Ozark mike]

In my parts we have this black and yellow striped furry hornet or bee looking thing which I thought was a bee because it was furry. One day I swept a bunch of sawdust off my saw into my hand and as I closed my hand I felt a prick and burning in the base of a finger. It dropped the dust and out crawled one of of these furry 'bees'. Still thinking it was a bee I took it outside and let it go. OK, so I now know it was a hornet (the fact that it did not lose it's stinger in my finger was a clue) but these things are not aggressive and the sting did not hurt much but then I'm basically immune to wasp and hornet sting anyway. Some wasps I don't feel at all. Bee sting on the other hurt plenty bad!

I only bother to kill wasps and hornet (whichever they are) because they don't belong here and compete with our indigenous fauna. I'm going to be baiting them this year.

Bumble bees are furry never seen a furry wasp. And I'm not sure about wood bees being furry. BUMBLE BEES ARE GOOD POLLINATORS PLEASE DONT KILL EM WE NEED EM

[303Guy]

Bumble bees are furry never seen a furry wasp. And I'm not sure about wood bees being furry. BUMBLE BEES ARE GOOD POLLINATORS PLEASE DONT KILL EM WE NEED EM
Bumble bees are highly respectable creatures. They sting - respect them! They wouldn't go for wasp or hornet bait so they are safe.

Yeah, this big hairy wasp thing that that looks like a giant bee - I don't know what it is. I don't kill them either. I don't quite pick them up in my hand to take them outside. They do after all, have a sharp end. Heck, we have these giant bugs about the size of a finger (and smaller ones) that get trapped in the outside sink. They flippin bite when I try to rescue them! So I use a stick.

Talk about having small hands!
https://i.postimg.cc/5yFf63d6/images.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

This is one of our Weta species. Some of them have smaller bodies but way bigger heads - with jaws to match!

I can't seem to find a picture of this hairy wasp I'm talking about.

[clodhopper]

Back to the original post.
Wonder if something like elbow macaroni could be broken up and screened to make suitable shot.
The sharp edges and velocity should do quite nicely.

[Mr_Sheesh]

clay balls, get them good and dry, pretty hard but self destruct on hard impacts, use a buffer to help it make down the bore?

[Ozark mike]

Dosent clay contain silicates sounds hard on the bore

[Mr_Sheesh]

Yes, I use a shot cup or wrapper around the shot in my shotshells, solves the issue

[ASSASSIN]

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/images/attach/jpg.gif

If that is what they are talking about, we get them here every summer, and have a bunch of them here now. It's really interesting and kinda fascinating at the same time, to watch these things carry off a live locust that is over twice it's size!

[Ozark mike]

https://citybugs.tamu.edu/2020/06/09/cicada-killers-likely-to-stir-special-fear-this-year/

[dragon813gt]

https://citybugs.tamu.edu/2020/06/09/cicada-killers-likely-to-stir-special-fear-this-year/

Cicada killers have been around here for a long time and I don’t know how anyone would mix them up w/ a “murder hornet”. The only thing that’s ever bothered me about the cicada killers is their territorial behavior. They seem to have guards at the edges that do just that. Having to walk past said guard multiple times throughout the day can be off putting. Never been stung but I sure don’t want to be. They are large and I’m allergic so it would most likely mean a trip to the hospital.

It would be nice if the cicada killers would start killing the lantern flies. Been infested w/ them over the past few years. Another great present from China that have decimated crops. If you don’t know what a lantern fly is you may at some point if you are younger. They expand their range every year and the devastation expands w/ them. Between them and them gypsy moths this year there is a lot of dead trees.

[Mr_Sheesh]

dragon, if a Epinephrine self-Injector would help and you're allergic enough to make getting to the hospital in time iffy, you might look at getting one of those. Not cheap though.

[Milsurp Junkie]

Dragon, you should carry an epipen (or two) and a couple of benadryl. Anaphylactic shock can kill you before you get to the hospital.

[Mr_Sheesh]

Epinephrine self-Injector = the generic name for Epipen, fwiw. Definitely a good idea those. I am allergic to wasps so if one of those things hits me I'll NEED the one I carry in my bag of goodies...

[Yellowhouse]

The "guards" are males and as such can't sting. The only person I ever knew stung by a cicada killer had captured one and was trying to get it out of the net. Bam! Its the paper wasps and yellow jackets that bother people. That and bees.

[Tokarev]

Wasps are very intelligent, polite, and helpful. They get out of my way when I am gardening. They eat flies and other pests. They do not drown in my water pails or other container, unlike other insects, and they eat flies that get stuck to the sticky tape. Nothing but good words about wasps from me.

[Ozark mike]

Wasps are very intelligent, polite, and helpful. They get out of my way when I am gardening. They eat flies and other pests. They do not drown in my water pails or other container, unlike other insects, and they eat flies that get stuck to the sticky tape. Nothing but good words about wasps from me.

I agree with what ya say with the exception of Asian yellow jackets and hornets they are a diffrent situation. In all my years i never had problems with dirt daubers and only a few times with those red wasps. Catching one in your shirt while on the bike is probably comical to other drivers watchin ya. Kinda miss those ornery missouri bugs. I guess i long for the ole days

[303Guy]

I agree with what ya say with the exception of Asian yellow jackets and hornets they are a diffrent situation. In all my years i never had problems with dirt daubers and only a few times with those red wasps. Catching one in your shirt while on the bike is probably comical to other drivers watchin ya. Kinda miss those ornery missouri bugs. I guess i long for the ole days
I caught an African yellow banded wasp/hornet on my inner wrist under my jacket sleave cuff elastic while on a bike. The sodding thing injected me until I could bring the bike to a stop but revenge was what I had in mind while I slowly pealed the elastic cuff back. Then the damn thing flew away. That hurt me the most!

Anyway, I still had to ride home with that burning in my wrist. I may have cursed that wasp thing to death. Hopefully. Other wasps I don't feel. Except that furry giant bee like wasp. I felt that one but only a mild bee sting like burning. I did catch one on my chest on a bike once. That hurt. I think I developed an immunity after that one.

The wasps around my place don't seem to bother us, as many as there are. These are paper wasps.

[Ozark mike]

I caught an African yellow banded wasp/hornet on my inner wrist under my jacket sleave cuff elastic while on a bike. The sodding thing injected me until I could bring the bike to a stop but revenge was what I had in mind while I slowly pealed the elastic cuff back. Then the damn thing flew away. That hurt me the most!

Anyway, I still had to ride home with that burning in my wrist. I may have cursed that wasp thing to death. Hopefully. Other wasps I don't feel. Except that furry giant bee like wasp. I felt that one but only a mild bee sting like burning. I did catch one on my chest on a bike once. That hurt. I think I developed an immunity after that one.

The wasps around my place don't seem to bother us, as many as there are. These are paper wasps.

Best thing ya can do is turn em into little wasp burgers they cant sting ya if there aint nothing intact. I used to work at a bee farm and when one of those little females get under your suit thats all ya can do. Once they sting ya then no since in killing em because they will die anyways because there rearend stays attached to ya. With a wasp they can keep on stinging unlike a bee

[murf205]

Dragon, you should carry an epipen (or two) and a couple of benadryl. Anaphylactic shock can kill you before you get to the hospital.

Yep, I almost found out the hard way. I got stung by 2 yellow jackets and within 45 seconds I was loosing consciousness. I managed to call 911 and the first thing I did was give them my location before I passed out. I came to after a shot of Epinephrine from the paramedic and I remember him telling the ambulance driver that he better hurry because my B/P was only 50/30. You better believe that I don't leave home without my Epipen.

[Mr_Sheesh]

Good plan! Modern cell phones do have a GPS built in, but you'd want to say "anaphylaxis" quickly should you need more Ephedrine, during the 911 call. Better yet, don't get stung, if possible. Same here on not leaving home without my epipen.

[murf205]

I agree wholeheartedly with the don't get stung theory but those #@$%& yellow jackets hide their holes very well. If you don;t see them coming and going, you will never know they are there. The nest that got me was in some 6" tall grass. The funny thing is, I have been stung all my life with nothing but "ouch" effect until that day last summer. I have read that getting older has a negative effect on immune systems.

[Three44s]

Unfortunately, those with serious allergies will be doomed with few exceptions if and when the Giant Asian Hornet gets established.

But a lot of folks formally not allergic to bee and wasp stings will also be at risk because of the nature of this latest invader.

As this thread has evolved some claimed they already had this pest in other parts of the US. That is simply not correct. This pest has never been here before and it is in a class of its own. There is a cousin of it in Continental Europe and likely England but even it is a far cry compared to the one here in Washington State and it is not here in the US yet.

The State Dept. of AG just recently caught a live invader hornet to place a tracking device on to find its colony but the fact is we are entering the time they impregnate their young queens to go forth and start new colonies next year. Simply put the cat is out of the bag!

These hornets will wipe out our native predator wasps, destroy honey bee colonies and will be a great public safety menace. Our society is in for a big shock when they find out how the authorities played this danger down as they were too focused on Covid and not enough about this Hornet.

Three44s

[Ozark mike]

Oh i know how serious it is you are not wrong

[Three44s]

Ozark Mike,

I apologize, as I was not referring to you. This came up earlier perhaps on another thread in “Boolits” where some members chimed in how over blown this Hornet was and that they already had it and ‘‘twas no big deal.

Best regards

Three44s

[Ozark mike]

I wasnt even thinking ya was. we need to get the correct info out there our honey bees depend on it. Yellow jackets and baldface hornets are hard enough on em dont need no dang hornet the size of a small bird prayin on em. My family used to raise bees so i know the importance of getting rid of this critter. Next thing ya know fwp will be saying they belong here jus like when they brought pigmy rattlers to missouri and gave our turkeys to texas them edumacated morons need to do somthin else like make quilts and fetch water

[Three44s]

I wasnt even thinking ya was. we need to get the correct info out there our honey bees depend on it. Yellow jackets and baldface hornets are hard enough on em dont need no dang hornet the size of a small bird prayin on em. My family used to raise bees so i know the importance of getting rid of this critter. Next thing ya know fwp will be saying they belong here jus like when they brought pigmy rattlers to missouri and gave our turkeys to texas them edumacated morons need to do somthin else like make quilts and fetch water

Well, my father is more blunt it seems. He says folks like that need to hammer out a “bill” from tin and clean up behind the chickens!

As a society we get out more into the wild than most folks in the world and there is going to be hell to pay as these new hornets get established where ever they can. Hikers, horsebackers and hunters beware!

Have a great and safe Labor Day weekend sir!

Three44s