( CNN ) -- It reads like something out of a Japanese monster movie : Enormous angry hornets invade cities , dive-bomb unsuspecting civilians , and inflict horrifically painful and in some cases fatal stings . But it 's not science fiction , it 's real . Every year around this time , the Asian giant hornets move into cities in China , Japan , Taiwan , the Korean Peninsula and other areas in Asia to forage for food for their young , and that 's where the trouble starts . More than 40 people have died so far this season from the powerful stings and scores have been hospitalized . Emergency response teams are on the hunt for the nests to destroy them before the insects do more damage , and authorities have set up medical units to treat the injured . So what do the hornets have against city dwellers ? Nothing , really . The hornets just happen to be in an unusually desperate situationn -- largely due to humans . The revulsion and panic that people feel when they read about these incidents or see pictures on TV and on the Internet should be about something more than fear . It should provide a moment to consider the impact of humans on their environment -- one that can end up biting them back . Asian giant hornets do n't eat much solid food as adults ; instead , they forage for food for their young , often stealing the larvae of honeybees or other insects , but sometimes they forage for scraps of fish in city garbage cans . Then they fly incredible distances to deliver the food , arriving exhausted and starving . They get their only nutrition from their children . That 's right : The babies feed the parents . These grub-like hornet larvae enjoy the meal their parents have brought them , then the parents tap on their heads , which prompts the larvae to offer up a few drops of clear liquid . The amino acids and other nutrients in this liquid fuels the adult hornets , and they fly off in search of more food . Sounds aggravating , does n't it ? I 'd be angry , too , if I had to go to that much effort to feed my young . At one time , the hornets could forage through forests and fields to find a meal for the kids . But now , as those wild areas are paved over , the hornets find themselves on our turf . Their search for food is as desperate and fast-paced as it ever was , only now they must contend with parking lots and apartment buildings where they once only had to battle other insect foes . This is not the first time that we humans have moved into wild areas and found ourselves doing battle with wild creatures as a result . One example : In the 19th century , great swaths of Brazilian wilderness were hacked down to make room for plantations . Once people started living in areas that had been wild , they found themselves exposed to new diseases that had never before posed much of a threat to humans . The assassin bug , a bloodsucking insect native to the region , helps transmit a disease called Chagas disease . It had never before been widespread among humans ; its reach was primarily confined to other jungle-dwelling animals . But once people moved into the insect 's habitat , the disease began to spread among us and continues to do so . The deaths inflicted by the Asian giant hornet threat are indeed tragic . But they also serve as a reminder that nature is fierce and powerful . The hornets are not invasive ; in this case , it is the humans who are invasive . There can be consequences to moving in on another creature 's territory . The Asian giant hornet is feeling the pressure that species all over the world are experiencing . The only difference is that the hornet has found a way to push back . Can you blame it ? The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Amy Stewart .
Amy Stewart : Asian hornets have killed , injured many in Asian cities . She says they 're venturing great distances for food as their habitats are vanishing . Human intrusions have long touched off battles in nature , Stewart says . Stewart : The hornets are not invasive ; in this case , it is the humans who are .