wasps

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North Carolina's New Post-Helene Issue Really Stings
North Carolina's
New Post-Helene
Issue Really Stings
in case you missed it
Oct 6, 2024 2:45 PM CDT

North Carolina's New Post-Helene Issue Really Stings

State health officials stock up on Benadryl, EpiPens after yellow jackets start swarming

(Newser) - "The air was full of yellow jackets, which seemed incongruous with an otherwise lovely late fall afternoon. But like so many of the folks standing on the highway, they had nowhere else to go." That was the observation last week of a North Carolina local checking out the...

These Wasps Love Planes, Could Bring Them Down

Airports employing insecticide, Pitot tube covers to deter keyhole wasp nests

(Newser) - There are numerous examples of birds colliding with planes in incidents that prove deadly for human passengers, hence why airports use various methods to deter fowl. Now, several airports are working to deter a smaller, airborne pest that also proves a deadly threat: wasps. As the Wall Street Journal reports,...

Flamethrower Drone Is Put Into Action

'Now we don't have to worry about being stung'

(Newser) - A drone has been converted into a flying flamethrower in central China in a fiery campaign to eradicate more than 100 wasp nests, the AP reports. Blue Sky Rescue, a volunteer group that conducts search and rescue and other emergency work, have teamed up with villagers in Zhong county near...

In This Nation, 'Murder Hornets' Used in Snacks, Drinks, Decor

But don't try what they do in Japan here in the US, scientists warn

(Newser) - Asian giant hornets (aka "murder hornets") may now be scaring people in the Pacific Northwest and Canada, but while they're just as aggressive and dangerous in Japan, people there don't simply fear them: They eat them. The New York Times notes that Japanese gourmands appreciate the...

He Escaped the Cops. The Wasps Were Another Story

Stinging insects chase fugitive into inflatable pool, where he's arrested

(Newser) - A fugitive in Germany has been nabbed thanks to the help of angry wasps. Oldenburg police said the unusual sting operation took place Monday after officers tried to arrest a 32-year-old man to serve an outstanding 11-month custodial sentence. The suspect, whose name wasn't released, fled from police and...

Big Problem in Alabama: Yellow Jacket 'Super Nests'

It's a bumper year for angry wasps

(Newser) - Last winter was warmer than usual in Alabama, leaving residents facing an unpleasant hazard in summer: Wasps' nest the size of small cars, containing thousands of irritable yellow jackets. Alabama Cooperative Extension System Entomologist Charles Ray says this year is on course to be the worst year for "super...

Feds Unleash Millions of Wasps on 24 States

But it's actually a good thing (unless you're an emerald ash borer)

(Newser) - The US government has unleashed millions of wasps into 24 states, the Guardian reports. But, contrary to the horrifying mental pictures this creates, the release of the wasps is actually a good thing. The emerald ash borer is believed to have invaded North America in the 1990s via wooden shipping...

New 'Alien' Wasp Is Bad News for Growing Pest

'In the insect world, we struck it rich'

(Newser) - Usually the discovery of a wasp described as something out of the movie Alien would be cause for alarm. Instead, the AP reports scientists are celebrating. That's because the Trissolcus japonicus kills crop-ruining stink bugs. The wasps—which, in more good news, are non-stinging—were found in Vancouver, Washington,...

Swarm of Wasps Attacks at Reno Balloon Race

48 people were stung

(Newser) - A swarm of wasps attacked dozens of people, including a group of kindergarteners who had gathered in a Reno, Nevada, park to watch a hot air balloon competition. Washoe County officials say 48 people were treated at the scene after they were stung by the Western yellowjackets around 7am today....

Wasp's Scary Name Inspired by Harry Potter

JK Rowling approves of 'Soul-Sucking Dementor' name

(Newser) - What name is worthy for a ferocious flying insect that swoops down on supposedly indestructible cockroaches, paralyzes them with its devastating sting, then drags them off into a corner to devour them? "Soul-Sucking Dementor" sounded pretty good to visitors at Berlin's Museum fuer Naturkunde. They were offered the...

Man Finds Giant Wasps' Nest in Bed

Swarm took over spare bedroom in British home

(Newser) - A British man visiting his mother discovered her spare bedroom was already in use—by thousands of wasps that had chewed up the mattress and pillows to make a 3-foot-wide nest on the bed. Pest controller John Birkett says a small window in the bedroom had been left open and...

Pregnant Mom of 4 Gets Stung, Dies

Sarah Harkins of Virginia was in her backyard when wasps were disturbed

(Newser) - A mother of four with a baby on the way has died after a freak event in Virginia. Sarah Harkins, 32, was in her backyard in Spotsylvania County earlier this week when she got stung multiple times by wasps after a nest got disturbed. Harkins—who was 21 weeks' pregnant...

Wasps: The Wine Lover's Best Friend?

The insects leave behind yeast from their guts

(Newser) - Wasps: What are they good for, again? Wine-making, for one thing. Scientists say that wine drinkers can thank wasps and hornets for the complex aroma and taste of their favorite vino, NPR reports. The insects help by biting grapes on the vine and leaving behind yeast from their guts that...

13 Stories