Washington state is going buggy these days with appearances by deadly wasps (called murder hornets) and gypsy moths, notes Grumpy Editor.
The wasps, world’s largest hornet species, have scientists trying to figure out how to eradicate them. They warn that unless the insects are eliminated in the next two years, they could spread in North America and become permanently established.
It is unclear how the two-inch long orange and black hornets, that repordedly killed up to 50 people a year in Japan, arrived in the U.S.
"As long as you don't step on a nest or approach a beehive they have taken over, there is a fairly low risk that you will be stung," says a spokesperson for the Washington State Department of Agriculture.
Washington State's other buggy threat is the non-native gypsy moth.
It is such a threat that Gov. Jay Inslee issues an emergency proclamation, noting the creatures pose an "imminent danger of an infestation” and endanger the state’s agricultural and horticultural industries, seriously threatenening "the economic well-being and quality of life of state residents.”
Female gypsy moths can lay hundreds of eggs that become caterpillars and then munch through more than 500 different tree and shrub species. Because the moths can fly long distances, it's likely they can quickly spread throughout the country, officials warn.
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