European hornets mistaken for murder hornets in North Bay

Darcy Brydge noticed a pair of hornets flying in the backyard. He was stunned by their size initially thinking they were a pair of hummingbirds. 

"My dog initially was at a tree in our yard sniffing it. So I took some water and I hosed the tree one a little larger came out first and then a second one came out and I caught this one with a vacuum," said Brydge. 

Brydge was just shocked at the size which compelled him to try and catch it. He went to an Ontario.ca website and filed a report with photos of what he believed may be a Northern giant hornet. 

"A regular hornet is probably half this size," added Brydge. 

He then put the large hornet in a plastic blueberry container and took photos. 

Brydge, who lives just south of Ski Club Road in North Bay on the north end of the city is one of several area residents who have been shocked to see the large hornets which have led many to worry that they are the Northern giant hornets known as "murder hornets" that made headlines after invading parts of the Canadian and American west coast several years ago.

"When I caught it I said, 'Whoa.' I've seen them here on the news but not in this province," explained Brydge.   

Brydge believes after further research of his own that the hornets are the large European hornet, which have been misidentified as murder hornets in other regions of Ontario. 

Tom Richardson operates Good Riddance Pest Control in North Bay.

He says they have been getting calls from North Bay residents about the same hornet. 

"We are unsure as to why, but yes European hornets are here," Richardson told BayToday. 

"Yes I have seen lots of online pictures and chatter. We have had some calls, brought back some examples. They were around at the end of last season as well."

See related: European hornet in Ontario stokes 'fear' of murder hornet

Bob Bowles, an environmental expert in the Orillia area, told BayToday's sister site OrilliaMatters that the confusion between the species is becoming common.  

Bowles said distinguishing features between the two include dark brown sections along the European hornet’s head — whereas the northern giant hornet has a fully yellow head — and “keyhole” markings along the European hornet’s black and yellow thorax, which are absent on the northern giants.

“Don't go too much by size because it's hard to discern a three to five-centimetre difference,” he said.

"Look at the features the … giant has a completely yellow head, whereas in this European hornet, you’ve got a yellow face, and then the top of the head is kind of a rich brown."

No one across the province seems to have a reason for the sightings this year as experts say the European hornets are not an invasive species in Ontario and have actually been in the area for more than 150 years. 

With files from Greg McGrath-Goudie