Washington State Set To Destroy First Murder Hornets Nest

Experts believe that murder hornets have at least one colony which successfully reproduced last year in the US after three mated queens were spotted last spring. Nonetheless, that does not mean that the bees have already established in North America as it would need multiple generations before that happens.

According to a previous report from Science Times, entomologists from the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA), the US Department of Agriculture, and the BC government are working together to look for the nests of murder hornets to prevent the species from completing its life cycle in the US.

The First Nest of Murder Hornets Found in Washington State

Entomologists with the WSDA have located the first nest of murder hornets in the United States. This will help the agency in protecting the native honeybees, according to a report by PBS.

The scientists spent weeks searching for the nest and finally found it in Blaine, a city located north of Seattle, near the Canadian border. They were supposed to destroy the nest on Friday, but it was delayed due to bad weather.

The WSDA found the nest because one of their workers caught two large hornets in a trap on Wednesday and then another two on Thursday.

This achievement means that the state entomologists recently had luck trapping the murder hornets. According to the officials, the used dental floss in attaching radio trackers to three hornets in which the second one led them directly to the discovery of the nest.

What's Next?

Murder hornets are known as invasive pests that prey on honeybees and other insects. Chief entomologist Sven-Erik Spichiger of the WSDA told the NPR last week that only a couple of murders hornets can destroy an entire healthy honeybee hive within a few hours.

The first nest found in Washington is located on a tree on private property in which dozes of murder hornets are seen being in and out of it, the WSDA said.

The plan is to destroy the nest, which might also mean removing the tree if needed. The property owner already gave the Agriculture Department permission to conduct necessary steps in removing the hazardous bees.

The Search for Murder Hornets

The state and federal Agriculture Department have been searching for the nests of murder hornets since it was first caught earlier last year. According to them, murder hornets have already entered the United States in late 2019 by December, but the first hornet was only trapped this July 2020 in which they caught more than 20 in Whatcom County.

Murder hornets are also called the Asian Giant Hornets as these bees are commonly found in Asian countries, such as China, Japan, Thailand, South Korea, and Vietnam.

Until now, officials are puzzled how the murder hornets have found its way in North America. Fortunately, the whole continent has not been infected as only the Washington State, and the Canadian Province of British Columbia are the only places where the hornets were detected.