2020 is the year of Snake Worms and Murder Hornets

November 11, 2020

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They are known to create serious ecological problems, wherever they appear. It is feared they are displacing native species of earthworms, centipedes, salamanders, and potentially ground-nesting birds.

>Sam Chan, a researcher through the Oregon Sea Grant at Oregon State University in Corvallis, worries that the worms negatively impact “leaf litter.” Layers of decomposing leaves, bark, and sticks represent inches deep on the forest floors. Snake worms eat through the leaf litter and leave the soil bare of its mineral content. These worms can reduce a forest’s leaf litter by 95 percent in a single season, Chan claims.

The murder hornets fly-in

More than 500 “murder hornets” in varying stages of development were discovered inside a giant hornet’s nest, in Washington state. According to U.S. state agriculture officials, this is the first giant murder hornet nest discovered in the country.

In May, the first sightings of the murder hornet hit the news. The giant insect is up to two inches long with a 3-inch wingspan. They are also the world’s fastest wasp traveling at a speed of 25 miles-per-hour.

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