Was this the bug that stung you? Wasp sightings revive murder-hornet concerns; no detections confirmed

As temperatures rise out of a mild El Nino winter, Canada's buggy season is already upon us again, and this year, the bugs are looking especially big.

You only saw it for an instant before it got you.

Narrow, translucent wings, patches of loud yellow and obsidian black; sharp, alien features and an even sharper stinger. Good heavens, the size of it!

At first glance, it may seem this could only mean one thing -- that five years on from their first Canadian sighting in 2019, they may have finally come to your neighbourhood. The dreaded northern giant hornet, better known as the "murder" hornet, is here, right?

Or was it just a regular wasp?

As temperatures rise out of a mild El Nino winter, Canada's buggy season is already upon us again, and with apocalyptic visions of supposed killer insects still fresh in the minds of gardeners, beekeepers and afternoon-stroll enthusiasts alike, it's easy to let your imagination run away with you.

Frightening though it may be, the prospect of buzzing death sweeping across the country remains remote, according to experts. More likely than not, the little monsters stalking your garden and harassing your local apiarist are one of many native or naturalized species, not a new or invasive bug.

"What we see in any given year is going to change -- right place, right time," said University of Toronto entomologist Rosalind Murray, in an interview with CTVNews.ca. "With climate change … it's warmer, but the daylight hasn't shifted; [that] can make animals a little bit confused … it could be that some people are seeing, for the first time, these very confused hornets."