Success Story"Murder Hornet" Infographic



"Murder Hornet" Infographic

Author: Jonathan Larson

Planning Unit: Entomology

Major Program: Integrated Plant Pest Management

Outcome: Initial Outcome

In May of 2020 there was a New York Time article that focused on the Asian giant hornet, which they dubbed the “murder hornet”. This potentially invasive insect has only been found in the pacific northwest, both in British Columbia, Canada and in the state of Washington. However, the media coverage of this insect unleashed a flurry of people who were afraid they had found it in or near their home. I know that over the course of just two days I had responded to hundreds of inquiries on the topic. I knew that the agents of Kentucky Extension must also be receiving a lot of calls. To try and help them be prepared, I worked to generate an infographic that agents could use on social media, email to clients, share with local media or post in newsletters. After polling the agents, I found that at least 182,197 people saw the infographic through over 20 different Facebook pages run by University of Kentucky personnel. It was also shared through multiple newspaper and television media outlets with a projected audience of 28,500 and newsletters with at least 4,950 subscribers. I also conducted three media interviews on the topic and co-authored a Kentucky Pest News article on Asian giant hornet. Ultimately, I received feedback from agents that described the infographic style publication as “exactly what they needed for Facebook” and that our release of it was “perfect timing, it saved me a lot of hassle.”






Stories by Jonathan Larson


Delusory Parasitosis Working Group

about 1 years ago by Jonathan Larson

In 2023 I was invited to join a group funded by the Southern IPM Center that focuses on helping Exte... Read More


2023 Expansion to Invasive Species Citizen Science Project

about 1 years ago by Jonathan Larson

In 2022, a partnership between Extension and the Office of the State Entomologist was formed to buil... Read More


Stories by Entomology


Entomology Program of UK-REC at Princeton Collaborated with Successful Revamp of Critters Day and Hummingbird festival at Land between the Lakes

Entomology Program of UK-REC at Princeton Collaborated with Successful Revamp of Critters Day and Hummingbird festival at Land between the Lakes

about 1 years ago by Raul Villanueva

After two years of interruption two events that take place were completed at the Nature center at La... Read More


Entomology at Princeton in 2022: Rebuilding program after the tornado disaster

Entomology at Princeton in 2022: Rebuilding program after the tornado disaster

about 2 years ago by Raul Villanueva

Immediately after the tornado that destroyed all the facilities of the Research and Education Center... Read More