Last fall the U.S. was introduced to the Asian giant hornet, nicknamed “murder hornet,” when it was first spotted in Whatcom County, Washington. The hornet presents a serious threat to agriculture that depends on honey bee pollination, reports say.
According to a report by the Seattle Times, since Sept. 21, six “murder hornets" have been caught, trapped or reported in the Blaine area of Whatcom County, Washington.
The hornet is entering the time frame when it will begin its slaughter phase, presenting a critical threat to the honey bee population. So, desperate efforts are underway by the Washington State Department of Agriculture to track down their nest and kill them before that destructive phase begins, the report said.
“Asian giant hornets this time of year start going into what we call the slaughter phase,” said Sven-Erik Spichiger, a department entomologist. “They will visit apiaries, basically mark a hive, attack it in force, removing every bee from the hive, decapitating them, killing all of the workers and then spending the next few days harvesting the brood and the pupae out of the hive as a food source,” the report quoted.
These bees were just having a great day, making honey and doing bee things in France last year before that Asian giant "murder" hornet (the big one) came zooming in to chase them down and rip off their heads. The Asian giant hornet was first spotted in the U.S. in 2019 in Whatcom County, Washington. Efforts continue in 2020 by the Washington State Department of Agriculture to locate the hornets' nest, before they enter their 'slaughter phase.' (Photo: Jean-Francois Monier, AFP via Getty Images)AFP via Getty Images
On Oct. 2, the Washington State Department of Agriculture held a virtual news conference on Facebook. Citing that news conference, the Seattle Times report noted that Spichiger said the six sightings led the department to believe it’s dealing with a nest, so it’s critical to find and eradicate it before the slaughter phase or new nests are made.
Citing Spichiger’s statements during the news conference, the Seattle Times noted that the first of the six hornets was captured by a family on Sept. 21, in northwestern Whatcom County, after repeated visits by the hornet to a paper wasp nest in the eaves of their home. Spichiger said the family caught a second one after deploying a citizen trap, and the third, he said, was caught alive in a net, by another department entomologist, Chris Looney, while meeting and speaking with the landowner, the report cited.
During the news conference, Spichiger said an attempt by WSDA to glue a radio tag on the live hornet for tracking purposes, was unsuccessful when the glue failed and got on the hornet’s wings, preventing it from flying home, the report cited.
Spichiger continued, stating that the fourth hornet was found by Karla Sapp, WSDA spokesperson, in a street lamp; the fifth was caught in a doorbell camera picture; and a person found the sixth hornet dead on a porch, the report cited.
The Seattle Times report cited Spichiger, who said the department is using a number of approaches, including the use of lure hives, in its search for Asian giant hornets.
“Track it, don’t whack it,” Spichiger said. “We want to take out the nest so we don’t have more next year,” the report quoted.
Sapp noted that It’s important that every person report every potential Asian giant hornet sighting every single time, the report cited.
According to the report, the Asian giant hornet measures 2 inches, and is the world’s largest. It presents a critical threat to agriculture, as it can decimate entire hives of honeybees needed for pollination. Stings to humans are very painful, and in Japan, as many as 50 people die each year from their stings, the report said.
Are murder hornets found in Pennsylvania?
According to a report on PennLive by Marcus Schneck, Asian giant hornets “have not been found anywhere near Pennsylvania.” But if you see one, or think you see one, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture wants to know, the report said.
“Photograph the insect, using great caution, and submit the photo to badbug@pa.gov or call the invasive species reporting line and leave a message at 1-866-253-7189.”
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