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From ‘Murder Hornets’ To Wasps: What To Know About These Often Misunderstood Insects

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8min 36sec
Hornet Wasp
Cody Lawson
Listener Cody Lawson wondered if this is a murder hornet as seen in Denver in September 2021. Insect expert Lisa Mason with CSU Extention says it’s not. Instead, it’s a Pigeon Tremex horntail wasp which is harmless to humans. Mason says Colorado’s climate is not conducive to murder hornets.

When Cody Lawson saw an ominous-looking wasp in Denver, he sent us a photo and wondered if it was a murder hornet. For the answer, we checked in with Lisa Mason, a CSU Extension agent in Fort Collins who specializes in native bees, other pollinators, insects and citizen science.