Any comic book character named after the murder hornet would have to be a villain. That's just what it is.

At about two inches long when fully grown, the Asian giant hornets have striped bodies encased in a protective shell. Their bodies are black and orange-yellow. Their heads are dominated by large eyes and fearsome looking mandibles, which look like pliers that would hurt like heck if your finger got caught between them.

At the other end of the body is a quarter-inch stinger. It doesn’t detach, as with some bees, so the hornets can sting over and over. It’s like being, “stabbed by a red-hot needle,” Shunichi Makino, a researcher at Japan’s Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute told National Geographic.

Usually, the sting is merely painful – but it can be fatal. In Japan, an estimated 30 to 50 people die from the hornets’ stings annually, from anaphylaxis, cardiac arrest, or multiple organ failure. The hornets use their oral appendages to massacre honeybees, which are already under threat from pesticides, habitat destruction, and diseases. During the “slaughter phase,” as it's called, murder hornets lay waste to entire beehives, decapitating the residents and harvesting the pupae for food. It's grim, to say the least.

[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-25-best-sci-fi-movies&captions=true"]

Murder Hornets in North America

In Washington State, honeybees pollinate raspberries, blueberries, and other crops. That’s why experts were worried when the Asian giant hornets were spotted in the northern part of the state earlier this year. The species was first found in North America in Canada in 2019. It’s not clear how they made their way to the continent.

“It’s impossible for them to fly over from Asia,” entomologist Takatoshi Ueno, of Kyushu University, told The New York Times. One theory is that they found their way via a shipping container.

However they got here, local experts don’t want them to start multiplying. Washington entomologists went to extraordinary lengths to hunt down a hornet nest in Blaine, near the Canadian border.

Tracking and Destroying the Murder Hornets

Over the summer, entomologists lay traps to start catching the hornets. They filled plastic bottles with orange juice and other sweet-smelling liquids. A couple of the insects were found drowned. Next, the scientists put out screened traps, to catch live hornets. Washington State entomologist Chris Looney finally managed to capture a living hornet, and the team was able to glue a tracking device onto it.

In late October, Looney and his colleagues followed the tracker’s signal to the hornet nest. To ensure no insects escaped, they wrapped the entire tree in cellophane. The hornets’ long stingers meant regular beekeeping suits wouldn’t work. Instead, Looney and rest wore special foam suits. They also had goggles on.

[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-best-deaths-in-the-jurassic-park-movies&captions=true"]

“I was more worried about getting permanent nerve damage in the eye from the squirted venom than being stung,” Looney told The Guardian. “They are pretty intimidating, even for an inch-and-a-half insect. They are big and loud and I know it would hurt very badly if I get stung. They give me the willies.”

This was the first removal of an Asian giant hornet nest in the U.S., but it probably won’t be the last. Scientists are modeling how the insects may spread. As large and unpleasant as the hornets are for humans, entomologists are more worried about their effect on the bees and other pollinators.

“It’s hard to say how they will behave here compared to their native range, but the fear is that there are large apiaries of bees that could be sitting ducks, while as the hornets move south to warmer weather their colonies could grow larger,” Looney said.

For more science news relating to insects, read about DNA being extracted from insects preserved in Amber and how a fossil found in Brasil uncovered the oldest meat-eating dinosaur in history.

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Any comic book character named after the murder hornet would have to be a villain. That's just what it is.

At about two inches long when fully grown, the Asian giant hornets have striped bodies encased in a protective shell. Their bodies are black and orange-yellow. Their heads are dominated by large eyes and fearsome looking mandibles, which look like pliers that would hurt like heck if your finger got caught between them.

At the other end of the body is a quarter-inch stinger. It doesn’t detach, as with some bees, so the hornets can sting over and over. It’s like being, “stabbed by a red-hot needle,” Shunichi Makino, a researcher at Japan’s Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute told National Geographic.

Usually, the sting is merely painful – but it can be fatal. In Japan, an estimated 30 to 50 people die from the hornets’ stings annually, from anaphylaxis, cardiac arrest, or multiple organ failure. The hornets use their oral appendages to massacre honeybees, which are already under threat from pesticides, habitat destruction, and diseases. During the “slaughter phase,” as it's called, murder hornets lay waste to entire beehives, decapitating the residents and harvesting the pupae for food. It's grim, to say the least.

[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-25-best-sci-fi-movies&captions=true"]

Murder Hornets in North America

In Washington State, honeybees pollinate raspberries, blueberries, and other crops. That’s why experts were worried when the Asian giant hornets were spotted in the northern part of the state earlier this year. The species was first found in North America in Canada in 2019. It’s not clear how they made their way to the continent.

“It’s impossible for them to fly over from Asia,” entomologist Takatoshi Ueno, of Kyushu University, told The New York Times. One theory is that they found their way via a shipping container.

However they got here, local experts don’t want them to start multiplying. Washington entomologists went to extraordinary lengths to hunt down a hornet nest in Blaine, near the Canadian border.

Tracking and Destroying the Murder Hornets

Over the summer, entomologists lay traps to start catching the hornets. They filled plastic bottles with orange juice and other sweet-smelling liquids. A couple of the insects were found drowned. Next, the scientists put out screened traps, to catch live hornets. Washington State entomologist Chris Looney finally managed to capture a living hornet, and the team was able to glue a tracking device onto it.

In late October, Looney and his colleagues followed the tracker’s signal to the hornet nest. To ensure no insects escaped, they wrapped the entire tree in cellophane. The hornets’ long stingers meant regular beekeeping suits wouldn’t work. Instead, Looney and rest wore special foam suits. They also had goggles on.

[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-best-deaths-in-the-jurassic-park-movies&captions=true"]

“I was more worried about getting permanent nerve damage in the eye from the squirted venom than being stung,” Looney told The Guardian. “They are pretty intimidating, even for an inch-and-a-half insect. They are big and loud and I know it would hurt very badly if I get stung. They give me the willies.”

This was the first removal of an Asian giant hornet nest in the U.S., but it probably won’t be the last. Scientists are modeling how the insects may spread. As large and unpleasant as the hornets are for humans, entomologists are more worried about their effect on the bees and other pollinators.

“It’s hard to say how they will behave here compared to their native range, but the fear is that there are large apiaries of bees that could be sitting ducks, while as the hornets move south to warmer weather their colonies could grow larger,” Looney said.

For more science news relating to insects, read about DNA being extracted from insects preserved in Amber and how a fossil found in Brasil uncovered the oldest meat-eating dinosaur in history.

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Twitter will host a digital launch party for Cyberpunk 2077 on December 9. This includes a Q&A with Cyberpunk 2077 developers Miles Tost and Patrick Mills ahead of the official launch. This will likely be one of the last interviews with the devs before the December 10 release date. The celebration kicks off at 6pm EST on December 9 with a Q&A hosted by Parris Lilly. Though not a traditional launch party, the event will celebrate the long road to Cyberpunk 2077’s launch, which has been delayed multiple times due to various factors. Twitter will roll out a custom #CyberNight hashmoji (the fun little images that appear after special hashtags) and are promising some surprise elements for fans who attend the digital event.

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Tost and Mills are CD Projekt Red’s seniors level designer and quest designer, respectively, and they have been fairly prominent on social media during the final months of Cyberpunk 2077’s development. They will hopefully be able to share some new and final information about the RPG hours before launch. All of it will culminate in the worldwide launch of Cyberpunk 2077, where it will finally get into the hands of players who have waited months and then weeks for the RPG to be released following two, high-profile delays.

No matter if you have been Tweeting since day one or just recently joined us - we are thankful for our community here. That is why we’ve teamed up with @TwitterGaming for something special #CyberNight Dec 9th 3pm PT | Midnight CETpic.twitter.com/Ir73fTCI9W

— Cyberpunk 2077 (@CyberpunkGame) December 3, 2020

In the meantime, CD Projekt Red is urging caution as there appear to be some spoilers around the internet. The studio has said that it will shut down any streams featuring Cyberpunk 2077 gameplay before December 9. So be careful when browsing around for different Cyberpunk 2077 information. Check out IGN’s final Cyberpunk 2077 preview for our take on nearly four hours of gameplay. And check back on December 10 when Cyberpunk 2077 is finally released. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt T.M. Kim is a reporter for IGN.

Twitter will host a digital launch party for Cyberpunk 2077 on December 9. This includes a Q&A with Cyberpunk 2077 developers Miles Tost and Patrick Mills ahead of the official launch. This will likely be one of the last interviews with the devs before the December 10 release date. The celebration kicks off at 6pm EST on December 9 with a Q&A hosted by Parris Lilly. Though not a traditional launch party, the event will celebrate the long road to Cyberpunk 2077’s launch, which has been delayed multiple times due to various factors. Twitter will roll out a custom #CyberNight hashmoji (the fun little images that appear after special hashtags) and are promising some surprise elements for fans who attend the digital event.

[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=new-cyberpunk-2077-gameplay-screenshots&captions=true"]

Tost and Mills are CD Projekt Red’s seniors level designer and quest designer, respectively, and they have been fairly prominent on social media during the final months of Cyberpunk 2077’s development. They will hopefully be able to share some new and final information about the RPG hours before launch. All of it will culminate in the worldwide launch of Cyberpunk 2077, where it will finally get into the hands of players who have waited months and then weeks for the RPG to be released following two, high-profile delays.

No matter if you have been Tweeting since day one or just recently joined us - we are thankful for our community here. That is why we’ve teamed up with @TwitterGaming for something special #CyberNight Dec 9th 3pm PT | Midnight CETpic.twitter.com/Ir73fTCI9W

— Cyberpunk 2077 (@CyberpunkGame) December 3, 2020

In the meantime, CD Projekt Red is urging caution as there appear to be some spoilers around the internet. The studio has said that it will shut down any streams featuring Cyberpunk 2077 gameplay before December 9. So be careful when browsing around for different Cyberpunk 2077 information. Check out IGN’s final Cyberpunk 2077 preview for our take on nearly four hours of gameplay. And check back on December 10 when Cyberpunk 2077 is finally released. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt T.M. Kim is a reporter for IGN.

SNK has announced three of the characters coming to King of Fighters 15, one of IGN's "Games to Watch in 2021," and announced that a gameplay trailer will arrive on January 7. In a trailer (below), producer Yasuyuki Oda and creative director Eisuke Ogura explained that Kyo, Benimaru and Shun'ei would all appear in the upcoming fighting game. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/03/king-of-fighters-15-official-character-announcement"] Shun'ei returns from KoF14, and will now play the role of the lead protagonist in the story. He has an updated look, and new moves on top of his previous set. Kyo, who appeared in the very first KoF game, makes a return in a black jacket and bandana. Benimaru switches back to a sleeveless shirt design, and will be more familiar to how fans remember him. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=king-of-fighters-15-images&captions=true"] Team composition in 15 will "differ greatly" from KoF14, but SNK won't be drawn on more details, only promising that more information will arrive soon. The developers call it the "most ambitious" King of Fighters game they've made. King of Fighters 15 was announced at EVO 2019, but the team has been silent since - it looks like we'll be seeing much more in the coming months. Keep checking back all month long for more of our "Games to Watch in 2021" IGN First series. Yesterday we had a new behind-the-scenes trailer for John Wick Hex to celebrate its Xbox and Switch release, and on Tuesday we had an extended look at the pirate-y action-RPG King of Seas. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

SNK has announced three of the characters coming to King of Fighters 15, one of IGN's "Games to Watch in 2021," and announced that a gameplay trailer will arrive on January 7. In a trailer (below), producer Yasuyuki Oda and creative director Eisuke Ogura explained that Kyo, Benimaru and Shun'ei would all appear in the upcoming fighting game. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/03/king-of-fighters-15-official-character-announcement"] Shun'ei returns from KoF14, and will now play the role of the lead protagonist in the story. He has an updated look, and new moves on top of his previous set. Kyo, who appeared in the very first KoF game, makes a return in a black jacket and bandana. Benimaru switches back to a sleeveless shirt design, and will be more familiar to how fans remember him. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=king-of-fighters-15-images&captions=true"] Team composition in 15 will "differ greatly" from KoF14, but SNK won't be drawn on more details, only promising that more information will arrive soon. The developers call it the "most ambitious" King of Fighters game they've made. King of Fighters 15 was announced at EVO 2019, but the team has been silent since - it looks like we'll be seeing much more in the coming months. Keep checking back all month long for more of our "Games to Watch in 2021" IGN First series. Yesterday we had a new behind-the-scenes trailer for John Wick Hex to celebrate its Xbox and Switch release, and on Tuesday we had an extended look at the pirate-y action-RPG King of Seas. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

The Call of Duty Endowment has announced that the Second Annual C.O.D.E. Bowl, which also happens to be the first ever Trans-Atlantic military Esports competition, will take place on December 11, 2020. Presented by USAA, this charity event is meant to raise awareness and funds for veteran employment and will feature Esports teams from all five U.S. Department of Defense military branches and the UK military's British Army, Royal Air Force and Royal Navy. This year will include new teams from the US Marine Corps, US Air Force, and the US Space Force. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/11/09/call-of-duty-to-raise-money-to-help-unemployed-veterans-ign-now"] The C.O.D.E. Bowl will begin at 10am PT/1pm ET/6pm GMT on December 11, and each team will compete in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War in a tournament-style competition. Furthermore, each team will be captained by a "popular Call of Duty streamer teamed up with another top influencer and service members from the United States and United Kingdom." Courage, LEGIQN, Huskerrs, Swagg, Espresso, Vikkstar, Tommey, C9Emz, and Spratt have been announced as streamers participating so far, and more will be announced as we get closer to the event. Ram Trucks will also be a part of this event, and is giving away a 2021 Ram 1500 Built To Serve special edition truck to "a deserving veteran recently placed into a job through the Endowment's support." Scuf Controllers will also be an event partner, and all proceeds from the event will "be used to place veterans into high-quality jobs." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/everything-you-need-to-know-about-call-of-duty-black-ops-cold-war"] “We are proud to have the United States and the United Kingdom militaries come together to participate in the C.O.D.E. Bowl,” said Dan Goldenberg, Executive Director of the Call of Duty Endowment. “This will be the first time all military branches have come together for a spirited eSports competition with the added bonus of raising awareness for veteran employment and we couldn’t be more excited to partner with USAA to make this happen.” The Call of Duty Endowment has funded the placement of more than 77,000 veterans into high quality employment since it began in 2009. It has a goal to place 100,000 vets into meaningful jobs by 2024. The Endowments's 2019 cost to place a veteran in a job was $499, which is 1/6 the cost of US Department of Labor efforts. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com. Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

The Call of Duty Endowment has announced that the Second Annual C.O.D.E. Bowl, which also happens to be the first ever Trans-Atlantic military Esports competition, will take place on December 11, 2020. Presented by USAA, this charity event is meant to raise awareness and funds for veteran employment and will feature Esports teams from all five U.S. Department of Defense military branches and the UK military's British Army, Royal Air Force and Royal Navy. This year will include new teams from the US Marine Corps, US Air Force, and the US Space Force. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/11/09/call-of-duty-to-raise-money-to-help-unemployed-veterans-ign-now"] The C.O.D.E. Bowl will begin at 10am PT/1pm ET/6pm GMT on December 11, and each team will compete in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War in a tournament-style competition. Furthermore, each team will be captained by a "popular Call of Duty streamer teamed up with another top influencer and service members from the United States and United Kingdom." Courage, LEGIQN, Huskerrs, Swagg, Espresso, Vikkstar, Tommey, C9Emz, and Spratt have been announced as streamers participating so far, and more will be announced as we get closer to the event. Ram Trucks will also be a part of this event, and is giving away a 2021 Ram 1500 Built To Serve special edition truck to "a deserving veteran recently placed into a job through the Endowment's support." Scuf Controllers will also be an event partner, and all proceeds from the event will "be used to place veterans into high-quality jobs." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/everything-you-need-to-know-about-call-of-duty-black-ops-cold-war"] “We are proud to have the United States and the United Kingdom militaries come together to participate in the C.O.D.E. Bowl,” said Dan Goldenberg, Executive Director of the Call of Duty Endowment. “This will be the first time all military branches have come together for a spirited eSports competition with the added bonus of raising awareness for veteran employment and we couldn’t be more excited to partner with USAA to make this happen.” The Call of Duty Endowment has funded the placement of more than 77,000 veterans into high quality employment since it began in 2009. It has a goal to place 100,000 vets into meaningful jobs by 2024. The Endowments's 2019 cost to place a veteran in a job was $499, which is 1/6 the cost of US Department of Labor efforts. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com. Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Steve Borden, better known as the wrestling icon Sting, made a surprise appearance last night on AEW Dynamite. Furthermore, it’s not a one-off event; Sting has signed a new full-time contract with AEW.

.@STING HAS ARRIVED IN ALL ELITE WRESTLING! Watch #AEWDynamite NOW on @TNTDrama pic.twitter.com/NMLGKqdQtX

— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) December 3, 2020

Winter is Coming, the episode of AEW Dynamite aired on December 2, saw the retired 61 year-old wrestler return to the ring in his first appearance on TNT since the final episode of WCW Monday Nitro back in March 2001. But in a press release sent out after the show, AEW revealed that Sting has come out of retirement to join AEW. “AEW has also confirmed tonight that it has officially signed Sting to a full-time, multi-year agreement,” said the statement. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/09/07/tnts-aew-all-elite-wrestling-premiere-promo-ign-first"] Sting is a former WCW and WWE star, and a member of the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2016. He announced his retirement from wrestling in April 2016 when he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, and has since only made one appearance on RAW in 2019 for the 70th birthday celebration of Ric Flair. For more, check out the news that AEW is planning a console wrestling game and a management game. If you’d rather WWE, then check out our review of WWE Battlegrounds. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer.

Steve Borden, better known as the wrestling icon Sting, made a surprise appearance last night on AEW Dynamite. Furthermore, it’s not a one-off event; Sting has signed a new full-time contract with AEW.

.@STING HAS ARRIVED IN ALL ELITE WRESTLING! Watch #AEWDynamite NOW on @TNTDrama pic.twitter.com/NMLGKqdQtX

— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) December 3, 2020

Winter is Coming, the episode of AEW Dynamite aired on December 2, saw the retired 61 year-old wrestler return to the ring in his first appearance on TNT since the final episode of WCW Monday Nitro back in March 2001. But in a press release sent out after the show, AEW revealed that Sting has come out of retirement to join AEW. “AEW has also confirmed tonight that it has officially signed Sting to a full-time, multi-year agreement,” said the statement. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/09/07/tnts-aew-all-elite-wrestling-premiere-promo-ign-first"] Sting is a former WCW and WWE star, and a member of the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2016. He announced his retirement from wrestling in April 2016 when he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, and has since only made one appearance on RAW in 2019 for the 70th birthday celebration of Ric Flair. For more, check out the news that AEW is planning a console wrestling game and a management game. If you’d rather WWE, then check out our review of WWE Battlegrounds. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer.