It was first revealed in 2019 that the Asian Giant Hornet had made their home in the United States people were pretty upset. These hornets are an invasive species, and have been damaging our honey bee population. Since reporting on it initially people have been able to report when they’ve seen them. The Department of Agriculture for many states have been exterminating these hives as reports come in. But it’s still an ongoing process and the first live Asian giant hornet has now been spotted in Washington state.
“This new report continues to underscore how important public reporting is for all suspected invasive species, but especially Asian giant hornet,” Washington State Department of Agriculture Managing Entomologist Sven Spichiger said.
Earlier this year another was spotted around Marysville in Snohomish County. The sighting happened in June but what was found was the carcass of a dead hornet. According to experts they say that it was long dead, possibly from the season prior.
This new hornet was spotted just two miles away from another nest that was exterminated earlier this year in Washington. The next destroyed previously was a massive one with the ability if left alone to spawn 200 queens.
They can kill an entire honey bee nest in less than an hour. They also like feeding on other insects and the one that was just spotted was believed to be scouting and attacking paper nest wasps.
According to the USDA, these hornets were first found in the Vancouver Island area of Canada in August 2019 and have since started becoming a major problem in the United States.
If you think you see one of these please promptly report it to your local pest control. The honeybees will thank you.
