Murder hornets Maybe they invaded Washington state, but that doesn't mean we'll let them stay.
The Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) reported Friday that it found the first nest of Asian giant hornets (nicknamed murder hornets) in the US. The nest was discovered in a tree hole near Blaine, Washington, after entomologists captured, tagged, and tracked a live giant Asian hornet back to its nest.
The WSDA plans to try to eradicate the nest on Saturday. Initial plans to clear the nest on Friday have been postponed due to bad weather.
Successful nest discovery comes after a WSDA trapper collected two live murder hornets on Wednesday that were caught in a new type of trap the agency set in the area. Two more live hornets were found on Thursday, the same day that WSDA staff were found in another trap marked the previously caught hornets with radio trackers and could follow you back to your nest.
Entomologists discovered the nest of the murder hornets in the hollow of a tree on private land. While murder hornets usually nest in the ground, they sometimes nest in dead trees. Dozens of the murder hornets were spotted around the tree.
The WSDA was active looking for murder hornet nests then the insects appeared for the first time. The first confirmed discovery of a giant Asian hornet in Washington was in December 2019, and the first hornet was caught in July of that year.
Asian giant hornets are a dangerous invasive pest that is not native to the United States, but they are the largest hornet in the world, as well as a predator of honeybees and other insects.
A small group of murder hornets may kill a whole beehive within hours.
Entomologists and citizen scientists have carefully followed the hornet's sightings to find nests to clear up.
