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Here is the last funny meme of this Padlet!

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“2020 definitely can’t get worse..” WRONG!!! A deadly bee has come from Asia. I am TERRIFIED!!!!! 🐝

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Two unusual hornets-striking, with orange and black markings and long stingers-were spotted near Blaine, Washington, in late 2019. Subsequent investigation revealed they were Asian giant hornets, the world's largest wasps, growing nearly two inches in length.

Scientists are concerned that these hornets could spread throughout Washington State and beyond, presenting a danger to U.S. bees- which are already in decline -and humans.

Nobody knows how the insects arrived in the United States. But the discoveries set off alarms and the insects began trending on social media as "murder hornets." These predators, native to East Asia and Japan, are infamous for decimating honeybee colonies.

With the toxic venom that their large stingers deliver, the insects already are known for killing people in their native habitats: In Japan, an average of 30 to 50 people each year die from the hornets' stings. In 2013, when populations of the hornets were unusually high, they killed 42 people in a single Chinese province. Most serious incidents occur when people come near or disturb the insects' hives.

These insects "are pretty formidable," says Chris Looney, an entomologist at the Washington State Department of Agriculture. "I am very worried."

At the same time, Looney offers some caution, starting with the nickname "murder hornet." He hadn't heard it before recent press coverage of the insects-and he doesn't love it.

"I worry people are already scared enough of insects for dubious reasons," Looney says. But he grants that there's an upside to the ominous label: "It does seem to have gotten people's attention. I just hope the sensational 'murder hornet' coverage helps us understand our ecosystems a little better."

As of now, researchers can't confirm how the hornets arrived. Looney says it's most likely they got accidentally trapped in shipping containers from one of the countries where they're native.

One complete hive of the insects was found and destroyed in late 2019 in nearby Nanaimo, Canada. But genetic tests suggest those giant hornets were introduced separately.

Asian giant hornets from Japan and East Asia already have established themselves as invasive species in other nations, such as South Korea. These social wasps form colonies, comprising one queen and many workers, which can fly half a dozen miles or more from the hive to find food. They eat many kinds of insects, but they seem to especially enjoy feasting on bees.

When they encounter honeybees, their attack starts with a "slaughter phase" in which they serially bite the heads off bees with their large mandibles, Looney explains. Within 90 minutes, a small group of Asian hornets can destroy an entire colony's workers this way, he says.

Then, the hornets shift to feeding. They occupy the honeybee nest for up to a week or longer, feeding on the pupae and larvae. They then feed it to their own young.

European honeybees ( Apis mellifera), the most widespread commercial pollinators, have no known defense against Asian giant hornets. Though the bees have been observed stinging the would-be invaders, it appears to have no effect on these wasps.

By contrast, Japanese honeybees ( Apis cerana japonica), which have co-evolved with giant hornets, have found a way to protect themselves. By swarming around the invaders and beating their wings until this "bee ball" reaches temperatures over 115 degrees Fahrenheit, the bees cook the wasps to death and suffocate them with carbon dioxide.

Asian giant hornets could also have deadly impacts on pollinators like native bee species, many of which are already suffering from competition with other exotics, Looney says.

Jun-ichi Takahashi, a researcher and wasp expert at Kyoto Sangyo University in Japan, agrees the wasp's damage to the environment could be significant anywhere they spread-and supports efforts to contain it.

Interviewed by email, Takahashi says the label murder hornet is appropriate because the species is as dangerous as killer bees, a nickname for the African honeybee. That invasive bee species arrived in Texas in 1990 and has colonized parts of the southern U.S. and caused human deaths.

It's Takahashi's opinion that "Americans do not fully understand the aggressiveness and toxicity of this hornet."

If the hornets aren't headed off in the next couple years, it will probably be too late to halt their spread across the United States, Looney says.

As of now, there have been only two sightings of worker bees of the species near Blaine, which suggests that there is likely a colony nearby. In winter, nests go dormant, and if any queens have mated, they would disperse to form new hives. Currently, Looney and other researchers are setting out lures to try to capture emerging queens.

In the summer, the researchers will set out hundreds of traps to continue looking for queens and workers, which would emerge in the summer if any new colonies are established. They could then try to attach radio-transmitting collars so they could track the wasps back to their nests and destroy them, Looney says.

Because the hornets make hives underground that generate heat, Looney and colleagues are also experimenting with heat-sensitive imaging technologies to help them find the hives.

Still, "It's going to be tough" to stop the hornet, Looney says. "But yeah, we have a shot at it."

Asian giant hornets have stingers a quarter-inch long, which can pierce protective clothing that beekeepers normally wear. Research shows that even in people who aren't allergic, 50 or fewer stings can cause death due to kidney damage.

Since the hornets made the U.S. news, Looney has been inundated by emails from concerned Americans who think they've seen the insect. In response, he stresses that only two sightings of the Asian giant hornet have been confirmed in the U.S.-and that people who think they've seen it in eastern North America are likely confusing it with the European hornet ( Vespa crabro), which looks similar but is less aggressive and dangerous.

"If people east of the Mississippi see something like that, they shouldn't assume it's an Asian giant hornet," he says. "It's almost certainly not."

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'Murder hornets' have arrived in the U.S.-here's what you should know

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Two unusual hornets-striking, with orange and black markings and long stingers-were spotted near Blaine, Washington, in late 2019. Subsequent investigation revealed they were Asian giant hornets, the world's largest wasps, growing nearly two inches in length. Scientists are concerned that these hornets could spread throughout Washington State and beyond, presenting a danger to U.S.

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Here is an interview with my dad.

What have you been doing lately to fill in time?

-cooking
-watching TV

How do you feel about COVID 19?
He feels that people should take serious health precautions and corona isn’t something to make jokes about.

Do you feel stressed? If you have, what have you been doing to cope with it?
He said that he did feel stressed and to cope he has been meditating and listening to calm music.

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It’s my sister’s 16th birthday on May 5th, she can relate!😂❤️

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Here is an interview I made with my mom.

Leyla: What would you tell yourself 2 weeks ago?

My mom: I would tell myself to get ready and buy more magazines.

Leyla: What are you grateful for today?

My mom: My family, health, and dog.

Leyla: What made today special?

My mom: You interviewing me, and its the beginning of May.

Leyla: Thank you!

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The one and only hand sanitizer!! We have so much of these at my house now! My parents are total germaphobes and it’s lowkey getting on my nerves.

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Here is a funny and cute TikTok. I want to buy one for my dog😁

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2020 can’t get any worse.. right? WRONG! The Pentagon released images of UFO sightings proving they were real!! Not only do we have a deadly virus on our hands, we also know that aliens are real!!! 👽🛸

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ufo videos have been officially released by pentagon - cnnpolitics

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The Pentagon has officially released three short videos showing "unidentified aerial phenomena" that had previously been released by a private company.

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Today me and my sister started watching Outer Banks. It is a new show and I really really like it. Probably my second favorite show after “Everything Is Not Okay”.

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Here is a poem I wrote for Corona Virus. I wrote it down on a piece of paper, but my writing was really bad so I re-wrote it on Notes:/ Enjoy!😋

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Here is another ancient object! AirPods! These are wireless earbuds and I have been using them A LOT. I really like to listen to music so I’m happy that I have these!! 🎶🎵

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Today, the U.S. confirmed 50,000+ cases of COVID-19. Does it get any worse than this? I feel sad. I wish we went into lockdown before so this wouldn’t get so bad.

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Free-write entry
Today is the beginning of Ramadan. Ramadan is a Muslim “holiday” (i guess?) that lasts for one month. During Ramadan, you cannot eat until it is 8PM(it usually changes). The fasting starts at 5AM. Ramadan is not about “not eating” it’s all about understanding what homeless, helpless, etc. people are going through. It’s also about letting your organs rest since we eat and let our body work so much. So, since today is officially the beginning of Ramadan, I finally have something to look forward to: eating. Since I really don’t do anything during the day except for homework and working out, I think it would be great if I could be hungry and really test my hunger. I really like Ramadan because I get to know about my religion better. This is probably the only thing thats going to be entertaining for me. I think Ramadan is going to be easier than other years since we are in quarantine. There are no finals, and I don’t have to go to school. Another bonus is that I don’t really see people eat (except for TV) because my whole family is fasting. So, heres to a happy and holy month! :)☪️

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Another funny meme, “Clorox Chewables!” 🤢😅

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Here is an interview I did with my sister.
(she didn’t want me to record her voice)

Leyla: How do you feel during these times?

Eda: I’m bored mostly. There’s really nothing to do except for eating.

Leyla: What have you been doing during quarantine?

Eda: Nothing. Just sleeping and eating.

Leyla: Would you want to say something to your future self during these times?

Eda: Dear future Eda, keep your head up, your life’s probably never going to get worse than this.

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Here is another picture of a popular item in 2020, Lysol. 🧼

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Free-write entry.
I’ve been really very bored so far during this quarantine. The day it was announced I was so happy and excited for an extra long spring break! But then, days went into weeks, and weeks went into months of quarantine and all I want right now is go back to school. It’s pretty ironic but sadly true. I’ve done almost everything I can. I drew, read, watched TV, cooked, cleaned, filled up my bath tub, talked to my parents, walked my dog (with a mask of course), played with my dog, and just a lot. I’ve run out of ideas now. I really really hope this ends soon because I’m literally bored out of my mind. I was supposed to go to Turkey by the end of last month but I don’t think that’s going to be possible. I was looking forward to it so much and I was going to go to my farm house and just have a great time. After that, I was going to go to Italy to celebrate my dad’s 50th birthday, and my grandmother’s 70th. It was going to be great, but you can only dream, right? Hopefully I get the chance and this all ends.

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Haha I laughed so hard at this meme I saw on Instagram. 😂😂

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Here is a video for me to see in the future🔮

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This is a funny TikTok that popped up on my For You page today.

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Here is a picture of the one and only, gone but not forgotten toilet paper. The minute we went into quarantine the first thing that went out was toilet paper. I guess people really like to spend their time on the bathroom.. 🧻

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What is open in your neighborhood? What is closed?
In my neighborhood, Publix, Walmart, Target, CVS, and other necessities still remain open. Unfortunately, most places that are open come with huge lines. It’s pretty hard to get into Whole Foods and get your turn to shop because grocery shops have decided to put a few shoppers at a time. Another negative is that almost everything is run out. Egg and yogurt shelves are literally empty. It is pretty sad to see everything so empty. Usually going to get groceries was so fun. But now it just seems sad. Except for grocery shops, everything else is closed. Aventura Mall, most gyms, pools, and other social places are closed which makes sense. Before my gym closed I really enjoyed working out with my sister or going to the pool to tan. Now me and her usually just work out at home and its really annoying because we don’t have any weights. And I really miss tanning too. Our neighborhood allows us to go on walks with masks as a form of working out but its annoying because they closed all the water fountains so I gave up on that as well. I hope this all ends very soon and I can get back to my old habits.