Invasive “Murder Hornets” Eradicated In US, Officials Say
The world’s largest hornet, an invasive breed dubbed the “murder hornet,” has been eradicated from the US, five years after being spotted for the first time in Washington state. According to CBS News, the Washington and US Departments of Agriculture on Wednesday announced that the northern giant hornets – the insects’ official name – have not been detected in the US for three years. The 2-inch-long hornet is known to have a stinger longer than that of a typical wasp. Its powerful sting can kill a human. It can also spit venom, but the insect is largely dangerous to bees and other insects, not humans.
“By tackling this threat head-on, we protected not only pollinators and crops, but also the industries, communities, and ecosystems that depend on them,” Dr Mark Davidson, deputy administrator at USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, said in a news statement, per the outlet.
State, federal and international government agencies worked together to eradicate “murder hornets” in the US, officials said. The enormous success included residents agreeing to place traps on their properties and reporting sightings, as well as researchers capturing a live hornet, attaching a tiny radio tracking tag to it with dental floss, and following it through a forest to a nest in an alder tree.
After finding the nest, a team then plugged the nest with foam, wrapped the tree in plastic and vacuumed out the hornets. They also reportedly injected carbon dioxide into the tree to kill any remaining hornets. In total, four nests were discovered and destroyed.
“We are proud of this landmark victory in the fight against invasive species,” said Mr Davidson.
According to reports, “murder hornets” were first identified on US soil in December 2019, about four months after they were found in Canada’s British Columbia province. The first nest was destroyed in 2020. In 2022, scientists set around 1,000 hornet traps around the state. In 2023, they found one nest, which they swiftly destroyed, containing 1,500 hornets “in various stages of development”.
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On Wednesday, officials said that there is still a chance that the hornets could return, or that other types of dangerous invasive hornets may someday make it to the US soil. They also noted that a member of the public reported a possible sighting of one of the hornets in October 2024.
“They got here once and they could do it again,” said Sven Spichiger, a pest specialist at the Washington State Department of Agriculture, per the BBC.
The “murder hornet” can kill an entire hive of honeybees in as little as 90 minutes, according to agriculture officials. They typically only attack people or pets when threatened. While attacks on humans are fairly rare, the insects are reported to kill from 50 to 75 people each year.
