Giant Murder Hornets in NC?

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Something humungous came in buzzing like a B-17 bouncing off the screen porch and windows to the house while I was sitting on the porch. The pictures in the link below show an Asian Murder Hornet as being about 1.5 inches. This thing I saw was bigger. At least 2”, maybe more. I jumped up and tried to get a picture but it kept moving on around the house.

Yeesh. We play with the baby out there. This was one evil looking and sounding critter.

 
I saw the same today. About 2” long, pretty girthy, relatively slow moving. I was guessing cicada killer but I’ve never seen a confirmed one to know.
 
Is that what those are? They keep attacking the roof cameras here, thought it was a trick of the lens.
 
Most likely a cicada killer…female. They grow to about 2” and are the only cicada wasps that sting. This is the time of year for them. I’ve seen a bunch this year, but we seem to also have a bumper crop of cicadas.

Look like this?

7C6BD3C7-53A7-485E-BD9F-58703E6E086D.jpeg
 
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The grand young 'un stepped on a wasp three days ago that left a blister on her heel which she seems oblivious to. Never seen a blister from a sting.
Spooked us pretty good because her mommy is deathly allergic to bee stings.
 
Cicada killers are not aggressive towards humans BUT they will dig nasty holes in your yards and unless you know what is doing it you’re like “What The …”. I kinda see ‘em like black snake or such unless you are just in love with your lawn.

94C298C7-4558-4F70-8144-CC27047701A8.jpeg
 
fieldgrade said:
The grand young 'un stepped on a wasp three days ago that left a blister on her heel which she seems oblivious to. Never seen a blister from a sting.
Spooked us pretty good because her mommy is deathly allergic to bee stings.
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She didn't respond to the sting or the blister?!

Supergirl!
 
Windini said:
She didn't respond to the sting or the blister?!

Supergirl!
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She grabbed her heel, gave her mommy a WTH look, then kept playing.

16 months old. Tough as nails.
She’s gonna give her folks hell, and I approve.
Karma is, well, you know. LOL
 
Dale Gribble said:
Most likely a cicada killer…female. They grow to about 2” and are the only cicada wasps that sting. This is the time of year for them. I’ve seen a bunch this year, but we seem to also have a bumper crop of cicadas.

Look like this?

View attachment 510592
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Yes, that’s it! I thought what I saw had 4 wings, that’s it for sure.
 
Windini said:
Given such a precocious equanimity in the face of sudden setback, I posit she is ready to master the Tap-Rack-Bang drill.

Get on it, Paw Paw.
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Didn’t phase the little stinker.
F761CB71-EE12-4857-8D7E-7FDE2DCDA625.jpeg
 
We get them every year and they always build a nest right around the same area, near a culvert in my front yard. They’re fairly docile, but curious and they’ll buzz me a few times whenever I mow.
 
Keep in mind that a person can develop a sensitivity to bee stings after as little as one sting.

No problems the first few times...then suddenly another sting produces an allergic reaction.

Not generally an issue...but any sting should receive some attention to see what kind of reaction it produces. You generally know in a few minutes if it's going to be an issue or not.
 
She did better than me. I started splitting some old pine that had been around for a few years. The 3rd one was jack pot with the yellow jackets. They tore me up. Ran to the garage and sprayed myself with ant spray. The was enough to cover the pheromones and stop the attack. Wifey messed up not wanting to hear the ring camera and turned off the motion activation. That would have been something watching me run around like a fool..
 
xRHINOx said:
That would have been something watching me run around like a fool..
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Is it not amazing how fast you can run through the yard like a chipmunk on carpet while under attack?
 
Not a bad idea to keep some Benadryl on hand. As @RetiredUSNChief stated, all it takes is that one sting to make your airway the size of a coffee stirrer.

Liquid’s good to have, but they also manufacture it in a chewable form. Start having a bad reaction, yeah, pop the Benadryl, but also get some folks on the way with a needle and some Epi.
 
Had some pretty large flying devils circling my compost pile last time I mowed. Easy 2”+ and thick. Gave them a wide berth, and watched them from afar hoping to see them return to a nest of something but they outlasted my patience. After last years yellow jacket infestation I’m on high alert.
 
Allegra is available too, for those concerned with Benadryl. I haven’t researched it, but our daughter-in-law who is so allergic to bee stings, and so worried when her baby bop stepped on that wasp, suggested it.
 
We had a bunch of them nesting in our yard several years ago. My wife and I had great sport smacking them with one of those electric tennis racket fly swatters. It would stun them for a few moments allowing us to stomp the life out of them. It was just about as much fun as shooting flying carpenter bees with rat shot out of a 44 Magnum revolver.
 
We have cicada killers and we have European hornets in the US.

There are no Japanese hornets here. At least no confirmed sightings.

The CK’s and EH’s are pretty curious but as long as you aren’t near their nest and don’t mess with them it’s pretty rare to get stung.
 
We have Cicada Killers at one of our plants in Fuquay. Every year, they pop up around June and there will be hundreds of them flying around. In the past 4 years, we have been around them every day and never had one mess with us, even going as far as dragging a cicada up my leg that it was stabbing. Ours disappeared within the last 2 weeks, it’s kinda odd because they were there one day and gone the next, no bodies to be found though. I’ve got some of the bodies from years past in our lab, the females are massive compared to the males.

Here’s a picture of an orgy:
863BC092-6CE0-4277-9D0F-D51415159F70.png
 
Chdamn said:
We have cicada killers and we have European hornets in the US.

There are no Japanese hornets here. At least no confirmed sightings.

The CK’s and EH’s are pretty curious but as long as you aren’t near their nest and don’t mess with them it’s pretty rare to get stung.
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You wants me to send you a box full of em?
 
bondjamesbond said:
You wants me to send you a box full of em?
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I’m sure what you have are European hornets. I’m willing to be wrong though. They’re very similar in looks.

But the first confirmed sighting of Japanese hornets in the US was in Washington state in 2020. The nest was eradicated in 2021.

If you really do have a nest of Japanese hornets please contact the department of agriculture. It is extremely important that they know.
 
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You is probably right. We've had these guys for years, they sting like a bass turd.
I'm send you a box of live 'uns anyway so you can decide.
What is your add ress?
 
We've had the big yellow hornets, like AirForce85 posted, around here for all my life. I have no idea of their origin or correct name, but in this area they have always been referred to as "japanese hornets". We also have the black hornets, which are much more aggressive than the big yellow ones, but are smaller and don't sting as hard.
 
John said:
We've had the big yellow hornets, like AirForce85 posted, around here for all my life. I have no idea of their origin or correct name, but in this area they have always been referred to as "japanese hornets". We also have the black hornets, which are much more aggressive than the big yellow ones, but are smaller and don't sting as hard.
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I always referred to them as Japanese or murder hornets too. It’s what I always heard.

I said it one time and a friend took the time to explain it to me.

I didn’t believe him since I’d always heard them called that. So I sat down and googled images and took a closer look. Then I did some research.

Then I had to admit he was right. Lol. Good thing I didn’t bet him which is my usual move.
 
First emergency sting kit I got had needle of epinephrine and 4 chewable benadryl tablets. It was a 2-shot needle setup. Give a shot, chew the benadryl and get to medical care. 2nd shot available if needed. The epinephrine is fast acting but short lived; benadryl is slow to get in but long lasting.

So far I've never needed to use it but still carry 2 epipens and benadryl.
 
We were getting Cicada Killers on our property every year. They were territorial and would buzz you if you got near the entrance to their nest. My boy’s were young at the time and they made a game out of going after them with badminton rackets, a few years of this and they mostly disappeared. These days I see the occasional one or spot the telltale hole in the ground but not in the numbers I’ve seen in years past.
 
Charlie said:
We had a bunch of them nesting in our yard several years ago. My wife and I had great sport smacking them with one of those electric tennis racket fly swatters. It would stun them for a few moments allowing us to stomp the life out of them. It was just about as much fun as shooting flying carpenter bees with rat shot out of a 44 Magnum revolver.
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Badminton racquets work awesome.

Much lighter than tennis racquets, which allows you to get that quick, snap action wrist movement going.
 
I see them (Cicada killers) occasionally in our yard in Apex. They tend to buzz by, scare the constipation out of you, then fly away. Never been stung. I don't go after them, I just let them be.

Ground bees on the other hand, I will eradicate with impunity. Got attacked by what seemed like the whole colony when I mowed over thier nest. After realizing I wasn't getting my legs impaled by tiny gnomes with barbecue skewers (that's what it felt like) I took off across the yard. I tried flooding them out with water but they don't seem to care about that. Neighbor recommended gas and match but that seemed too redneck, plus we are on well water. Wasp spray did the trick. It's like mustard gas for bugs. If I see any more nests they get gassed right away.
 
alpharius said:
I see them (Cicada killers) occasionally in our yard in Apex. They tend to buzz by, scare the constipation out of you, then fly away. Never been stung. I don't go after them, I just let them be.

Ground bees on the other hand, I will eradicate with impunity. Got attacked by what seemed like the whole colony when I mowed over thier nest. After realizing I wasn't getting my legs impaled by tiny gnomes with barbecue skewers (that's what it felt like) I took off across the yard. I tried flooding them out with water but they don't seem to care about that. Neighbor recommended gas and match but that seemed too redneck, plus we are on well water. Wasp spray did the trick. It's like mustard gas for bugs. If I see any more nests they get gassed right away.
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Ground nesting yellow jackets are the work of the devil. If you want to get rid of them for good, wait until just after dark when they are all back in the nest and pour a little gasoline down the hole. About a half cup will do. It doesn't take a lot, and the fumes will wipe out the entire colony.
 
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