Murder Hornets Are Back, And More Murder Hornet-y Than Ever

Remember back in early May, when "Murder Hornets" took their spot as a newscast sub-plot to the heightening Covid-19 pandemic, only to seemingly vanish shortly after? For months following their disappearance, their short-lived coverage became a recurring joke, a testament to 2020's increasingly absurd series of events. 

"So many plot holes. Like, where did the murder hornets go? Why introduce them if they aren't important to the story?" mused Twitter user @mia_sade.

"Series finale of America is a little overwritten. The writers are just throwing everything against the wall and it's completely incoherent," wrote The American Independent's senior writer, Oliver Willis, on Twitter back in June. 

"Just wait until the murder hornets, foreshadowed in Chapter April, make their dramatic, mind bending, plot twisting return," replied user @UE_Loyalist. "M Night Shyamalan has nothing on these guys."

Well, readers, it looks like the writers of 2020 may be giving The Sixth Sense director a good run for his money after all -- Murder Hornets are back, and more Murder Hornet-y than ever. On Saturday, crews wearing some pretty intense protective gear destroyed the first known nest of Murder Hornets, also known as Asian Giant Hornets, in the United States, vacuuming them into oblivion, NBC News reported. For weeks, Washington state's Agricultural Department had worked to track the insects, tying equipment to the hornets using dental floss. Finally, on Friday, scientists announced they found a basketball-sized nest of 100-200 hornets in Blaine, Washington, near the U.S./Canada border, vacuuming the Murder Hornets into a container the following day. The tree is also set to be cut down to remove baby bees and investigate if the queen(s) have ventured off. 

"Got 'em," the agency tweeted on Saturday, with an accompanying video of the bugs squirming around in a transparent tube. "Vacuumed out several #AsianGiantHornets from a tree cavity near Blaine this morning. Further details will be provided at a press conference on Monday. Staff not available for interviews before then."

Now, before you bust our your commemorative "I survived Murder Hornets" t-shirts ... again ... it seems the writers of this year may have a bit more in store for this plotline after all, as officials say they suspect there are more nests in the area, according to NBC News. 

It's also worth noting that despite their ominous name and pretty intimidating appearance, complete with 6mm long stingers, these bugs don't pose a major threat to "the vast majority of Americans" National Geographic  wrote back in August. Although they can spit venom and serve painful stings, CBS News reports, the insects pose the biggest threat to honeybees, the adorably helpful little bugs that help pollinate crops and flowers. 

In short, unless you're a good, wholesome bee living in upstate Washington, Murder Hornets shouldn't be a big worry at the moment ... or so they say. Hubris -- not even once in 2020. 

For more laments on the dumpster fire that is this year, follow Carly on Instagram @HuntressThompson_ and on Twitter @TennesAnyone.