The first “murder hornet” nest in the United States in 2021 was found in northern Washington on Thursday, about a week after the insect was first discovered.
The Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) said in a press release that the nest is about a quarter mile east of Blaine, Washington, near the Canadian border, and about a quarter of a mile east of where the first bumblebee was found on August 11. found.
Between August 11 and August 17, WSDA staff used trackers to tag three murderous hornets (also known as Asian hornets), as they did when locating their nests in October 2020.
According to WSDA, one of them slipped out of the tracking device and the other was never found, but they were eventually taken to the nest on Thursday morning.
According to WSDA, WSDA entomologists are now working on a plan to eliminate nests, which is expected to take place next week. They worked with experts in Oregon and British Columbia to find the nest.
“Teamwork is the key to the success of this work,” WSDA management entomologist Sven Spichiger said in a statement. “Whether it is publicly reporting sightings and setting traps, or the cooperation of state and federal agencies, this is indeed a model of successful invasive species management.”
WSDA said in a statement that there may be more nests, and people should report suspected sightings of the Asian Hornet to the state.
The first sighting on August 11 this year WSDA eradicates the obvious first lair there In the United States in October 2020, as Weekly newspaper Reported before.
The Asian Hornet is not native to the United States, but an invasive species. They are usually distributed in parts of Asia, including India and Japan. It is not clear how they arrived in North America.
They are one of the largest species of wasps in the world. The queen bee is larger than other colonies and can grow up to two inches long. Workers are usually about an inch and a half long.
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Bumblebees can be dangerous to humans. They attack in groups, and their long stings can pierce thick protective clothing. The amount of venom that a colony can inject through constant stinging makes them a threat to young children and people with underlying health problems. However, they don’t often look for humans and are more dangerous to bees.
The sighting of the wasp is First diagnosed in the U.S. in December 2019. Experts tell Weekly newspaper In August 2020, the Hornets May spread across the country If they are not eradicated in Washington.
Weekly newspaper Contacted WSDA on Saturday night for further comment, but had not received a response at the time of publication. This article will be updated with any response.
