A new Asian Giant Hornets nest was eradicated this Thursday in northwest Washington.
Asian Giant Hornets are an invasive species that can destroy a honey bee nest in a matter of hours. Nests have been found in Canada, and today’s discovery was the fourth found in Washington.
Karla Salp, a spokesperson for the Washington state Department of Agriculture, said one queen, several worker bees and larva were found in the nest.
“We were able to eradicate the nest before they produced any reproductives that could go on to start new nests,” she said.
She said a hornet was caught in a trap, outfitted with a tracker and led scientists back to its nest, which was 17 feet up inside of a tree. The tree had to be cut down to safely deal with the nest.
Salp said these Asian Giant Hornets were found in Whatcom County, about a half mile from where the first nest in the country was discovered in 2019.
She said the public can help eradicate this invasive species by taking a photo of an insect they believe could be an Asian Giant Hornet, or collecting any dead specimens they find, and submitting evidence to the state Department of Agriculture’s website.
