NY Times: In Japan, the 'Murder Hornet' Is Both a Lethal Threat and a Tasty Treat

[Botany]

In Japan, the ‘Murder Hornet’ Is Both a Lethal Threat and a Tasty Treat
Long before the insects found their way to American shores, some Japanese prized them for their numbing crunch and the venomous buzz they add to liquor.


But in the central Chubu region, these insects — sometimes called “murder hornets” — are known for more than their aggression and excruciating sting. They are seen as a pleasant snack and an invigorating ingredient in drinks.

The giant hornet, along with other varieties of wasps, has traditionally been considered a delicacy in this rugged part of the country. The grubs are often preserved in jars, pan-fried or steamed with rice to make a savory dish called hebo-gohan. The adults, which can be two inches long, are fried on skewers, stinger and all, until the carapace becomes light and crunchy. They leave a warming, tingling sensation when eaten.

The hornets can also give liquor an extra kick. Live specimens are drowned in shochu, a clear distilled beverage. In their death throes, the insects release their venom into the liquid, and it is stored until it turns a dark shade of amber.


snip

He does not eat the bugs himself. “Even when I tell people, they’re going to sting you, they still eat them. They say it makes them potent,” he said.

[rainy]

1. What is causing the massive trending of Murder hornets right now?

[Cirque du So-What]

2. Probably their discovery in western Washington

[backscatter712]

3. That and the new nickname.

I've heard about Asian giant hornets before - they're scary little fuckers. This is high-octane nightmare fuel here - hornets the size of your thumb, with a reputation for being very aggressive towards anyone that's too close to their nest, with an extremely nasty sting (much more painful than an ordinary hornet's or paper-wasp's sting, and as few as a half-dozen stings can kill. These monsters' stingers are a quarter-inch long!) But on top of being spotted here in the US, now they've got the name "murder hornet" and that's been memed.

[rainy]

4. Thanks I figured it out. All morning

Stephanie Miller was going on and on about them and I’d seen some memes about them then I finally saw the news😁

[Poiuyt]

5. There used to be a grocery store in my town that sold chocolate covered bees.

Fried grasshoppers too.

[Amishman]

6. Hate the stupid nickname

Yes they are unpleasant bugs, but enough with the drama farming already.

[Haggis for Breakfast]

8. For those of us who are deathly allergic,

the drama is real.

I must carry an EpiPen with me always. I've been stung three times, each worse than the last. They last time I went into anaphylactic shock in 45 seconds. As I was turning blue and no longer breathing, I was lucky to be right near the Base clinic or I'd be dead right now. Trust me, for those of us who are susceptible to their toxin, the drama is REAL. Because the outcome of getting stung is death.

[Haggis for Breakfast]

7. They have been found in Southern British Columbia in and around Vancouver

as well as Whatcom and Skagit Counties here in WA. They probably came to our area via container ship or in cargo holds.

I live in Whatcom and the very notion of these things being here scares me half to death. They are not aggressive towards humans particularly, but they are VERY territorial around their nests. They do feast on bee colonies, killing the bees by ripping their heads off and leaving them for dead, eating the nest.

I had seen a special on the Discover Channel on them a few years ago, saying to myself, "Thank god they aren't HERE."

Like life wasn't scary enough right now.