Photo courtesy Washington State Department of Agriculture
OLYMPIA, Washington — A live Asian giant hornet has been found in Washington. The Washington State Department of Agriculture has confirmed the first report of 2021.
The WSDA entomologist reviewed and confirmed the information. It came from a Whatcom County resident on August 11. The creature was seen attacking a wasp nest.
The report included a picture of a live Asian giant hornet attacking a paper wasp nest near Blaine, Washington. This location is about 2 miles from where WSDA eradicated the first Asian giant hornet nest in the United States last October.
“This hornet is exhibiting the same behavior we saw last year – attacking paper wasp nests,” Sven Spichiger, WSDA managing entomologist said.
In response to this detection, WSDA will be setting live traps in the area in an attempt to catch a live hornet, tag it, and track it back to the nest.
Asian giant hornets are an invasive pest not native to the U.S. They are the world’s largest hornet and prey on honey bees and other insects. These hornets may attack honey bee hives in the late summer or early fall. A small group of Asian giant hornets can kill an entire honey bee hive in a matter of hours.