The world’s largest hornet, an invasive species nicknamed the “murder hornet” for its dangerous sting and ability to wipe out a hive of bees in a matter of hours, has been declared eradicated in USAfive years after being first sighted in Washington state, near the border with Canada.
The Washington and federal Departments of Agriculture announced the eradication on Wednesday, saying the giant hornet had not been detected in Washington since 2021.
The news marks a huge success achieved thanks to residents who agreed to place traps on their properties and report sightings, as well as researchers who captured a live hornetthey attached a small radio tracking tag to it and followed it through a forest to a nest in a tree. Scientists destroyed the nest just as several queens were beginning to emerge, officials said.
“I have to tell you, as an entomologist — I’ve been at this for more than 25 years — and it’s a rare day when humans actually beat insects,” said Sven Spichiger, pest program manager for the Washington State Department of Agriculture. in a virtual press conference.
The hornets, which can measure 5 centimeters (2 inches) long and are also known as Asian giant hornets, gained attention in 2013, when they killed 42 people in China and left 1,675 seriously injured. In the United States, about 72 people die each year from bee and wasp stings.according to data from the National Institutes of Health.
The hornets were first detected in North America in British Columbia, Canada, in August 2019, and their presence was confirmed in Washington state in December 2019, when a Whatcom County resident reported one specimen. A beekeeper also reported hives being attacked and delivered specimens in the summer of 2020. Experts said the hornets could have traveled to North America in flower pots or cargo containers.
DNA evidence indicated that the populations found in British Columbia and Washington were unrelated and appeared to come from different countries. There have also been unconfirmed reports in British Columbia since 2021, and the Invasive Species Center in Canada has said the hornet is considered eradicated there as well.
Northern giant hornets pose significant threats to native pollinators and insects. They can wipe out a hive of bees in just 90 minutes, decapitating the bees and then defending the hive as their own, taking the young to feed their own offspring.
The hornet can sting through most beekeeper suits, deliver nearly seven times the amount of venom as a honey bee, and sting multiple times. At one point, the Department of Agriculture in Washington ordered special reinforced suits from China.
Washington is the only state that has had confirmed reports of northern giant hornets. Four nests were found in 2020 and 2021.
Spichiger said Washington will remain on alert, despite reporting the eradication. He noted that entomologists will continue to monitor traps in Kitsap County, where a resident reported an unconfirmed sighting in October.
He noted that other invasive hornets can also pose problems: Officials in Georgia and South Carolina are combating yellow-legged hornets, and giant hornets were recently detected in Spain.
“We will continue to be vigilant,” Spichiger said.