After locating the first Asian giant hornet nest in 2021 on Thursday, August 19th, a plan was developed by Washington State Department of Agriculture entomologists and the first Asian giant hornet nest of the year was eradicated on Wednesday, Aug. 25th.
The nest was located in the base of a dead alder tree in rural Whatcom County, east of Blaine after an Asian giant hornet was netted, tagged with a tracker and released. The electronically tagged hornet led Washington State Department of Agriculture entomologists to the entrance to the nest located at the base of an alder tree about two miles from the nest eradicated last October.
Washington State Department of Agriculture staff began Wednesday’s eradication by vacuuming 113 worker hornets from the nest. Once the worker hornets were removed, the team began removing bark and decayed wood near the base of an alder tree at the entrance to the nest. Removing the wood revealed that the hornets had excavated the interior of the tree to make room for the nest, which consisted of nine layers of comb. In addition to the worker hornets vacuumed from the tree, Washington State Department of Agriculture staff caught 67 additional hornets in the area with nets during the eradication. The nest itself had nearly 1,500 hornets in various stages of development.
“While we are glad to have found and eradicated this nest so early in the season, this detection proves how important public reporting continues to be,” Sven Spichiger, Washington State Department of Agriculture managing entomologist said. “We expect there are more nests out there and, like this one, we hope to find them before they can produce new queens. Your report may be the one that leads us to a nest.”
Anne LeBrun, National Policy Manager for Pollinator Pest Programs with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service noted that successful cooperation between State and Federal agencies and members of the public is paying off in Washington. “We are pleased to play a role in this collaborative success by sharing technical expertise, providing financial support, and collaborating on survey and research efforts,” said LeBrun. “Public involvement remains an essential part of eradicating this hornet.”
Washington State Department of Agriculture will continue to trap for Asian giant hornets through the end of November, and those who suspect they have seen an Asian giant hornet should take a photograph if possible and visit agr.wa.gov/hornets to report the sighting.
Asian giant hornets are the world’s largest hornet and are not native to North America. They prey on honey bees and other insects. They can conduct mass attacks on honey bee hives, destroying the hive in a matter of hours. The hornets were first detected in the United States in 2019 when a hornet was reported in Whatcom County. Since that time, WSDA has been working with local, state, and federal partners to find and eradicate the hornets and prevent them from establishing in the United States.
