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.
IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…
7 VETERANS OBSERVE WWII IN WASHINGTON. Participating at a wreath-laying ceremony Friday in Washington marking the 75th anniversary of the end of the war in Europe are seven World War II veterans, ages 96 to 100, along with President Donald Trump.
RECORD COLD SMACKS EAST. A blast of Arctic air hits the eastern half of the U.S. over the weekend, setting near or record lows for the date in cities including Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Cleveland.
TEENAGER FINDS $135,000 AT ATM. A 19-year-old on his way to make a bank deposit in Albuquerque spots a plastic bag on the ground near an ATM machine. It contains $135,000 in $20 and $50 bills. Rather than pocket his find, he calls police. The money, meant to supply the machine, is mistakenly left outside the ATM by a bank subcontractor. The youth wins praise and fame for his deed.
ERRATIC DRIVER TURNS OUT TO BE 5-YEAR-OLD. A Utah Highway Patrol officer turns on his siren and pulls over an erratic driver on Interstate 15 in Ogden. Behind the wheel, sitting on the edge of the seat to reach the pedals: a 5-year-old boy who tells the trooper he is going to his sister’s house in California. The boy tells another trooper he was going to buy a Lamborghini when he got there, then flashed open his wallet showing $3 cash to purchase his dream car.
TOP N.Y. RESTAURANT MAY CLOSE. Future of New York’s Eleven Madison Park, named the No. 1 restaurant in the world in 2017, is uncertain, chef-owner Daniel Humm tells Bloomberg. “There is definitely a question mark over Eleven Madison Park --- if it will reopen” and “it will take millions of dollars to reopen,” he reveals.
LONG-HAUL TRUCKS BUSY. While passenger travel on roads declines nearly 50 percent since lockdown measures were implemented in mid-March, long-haul truck trips only decline by 13 percent, showing that trucking industry continues delivering despite the pandemic, a new report shows.
MONKEY BUSINESS AT AN ATM. Police in New Delhi are called to a State Bank of India ATM after the front of the machine is pulled off. Video shows a monkey, believed to be a Rhesus Macaque, climbing up the front of the machine and tugging at the top. The machine then falls open before the inquisitive animal jumps up and begins to explore its inner workings. The monkey pulls off a piece of plastic and sniffs it before bouncing up and down several times on the opened lid before wandering away.
