Asian giant hornet found in Custer

The first Asian giant hornet discovered in the U.S. this year was found dead near Valley View Road in Custer on May 27, which testing later confirmed to be a mated queen on Tuesday, June 2. 

Karla Salp, public engagement specialist for the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA), said the death of the mated queen means her colony will now be unable to survive.

“It’s more information on the situation we’re dealing with,” Salp said. “It looks like a colony was able to reproduce and bring out new queens, meaning there are more nests to eradicate.” 

This is the third confirmed sighting of the world’s largest hornet in the U.S., about a 2-mile straight line from where the hornet was first discovered in October on Hoier Road in Blaine. The second sighting was in December, near the corner of Sweet and Stadsvold Road in Blaine.

A hornet can fly up to 90 miles in a day, Salp said, but how far it travels depends on the amount of competition from other Asian giant hornets in the area and food resources.

Salp said there is concern that the hornets could settle in unmanaged forested areas of Whatcom County where sparse human populations and areas of undergrowth could make it harder to detect the hornets. 

Scientists believe that the invasive species, scientifically known as Vespa mandarinia, arrived in North America last year in international trade cargo from eastern Asia. Three hornets have been reported in B.C., including the first one detected this year in Langley on May 15. Last year, a hornet was found in White Rock and a colony of about 150 live hornets and 600 unhatched larvae and eggs was destroyed in Nanaimo on Vancouver Island. 

The hornets, also dubbed ‘murder hornets,’ can decapitate an entire honeybee hive within a few hours, creating a looming threat for public health and the state’s economy if established, according to WSDA. 

About eight WSDA employees are working to stop the spread of the Asian giant hornets, Salp said, but hundreds of community members and outside scientists have joined the fray. 

“It’s a really interesting project in the sense that nothing like this has been done by the department of agriculture,” Salp said. “We are totally dependent on partners working together to help detect and let us know where the Asian giant hornets are. Every report that both the U.S. and Canada has received is from the public.”

The Asian giant hornet is distinguished by its large size that measures up to 2 inches, a yellow-and-black striped abdomen and large eyes, according to the WSDA. 

Bumblebees are often mistaken for the hornets, Salp said, but bumblebees can be identified by their hairy bodies. Clear, close-up photos can help confirm the hornets, but Salp warns people only to take photos if it is safe and that people allergic to hornets should prioritize their safety since the hornets have a very venomous sting. 

WSDA is unable to verify Asian giant hornet reports without specimen samples but the department can adjust its trapping response if a photo looks like a positive match, Salp said. It usually takes a few days to confirm a positive result because the specimen needs to be confirmed by the regional USDA program in Seattle, the USDA office in Olympia and the USDA office in Washington, D.C. 

WSDA will set 300 traps for the hornets in June, but the agency urges residents not to set homemade traps until July, when the worker hornets are expected to become more active. People who already have traps set up should report weekly trap catches to aghtrapping@agr.wa.gov, even if they don’t catch an Asian giant hornet. More information on how to trap Asian giant hornets is available at agr.wa.gov.

Sven Spichiger, a WSDA entomologist, said in a May 29 press conference that if workers are found in the traps, that would confirm that colonies are established in Washington.

“As of right now, it’s not firmly established in Washington state, but we’re concerned,” said Spichiger, who anticipates finding more hornets as summer continues.

An area must be clear of hornets for three years before WSDA can declare it free of the invasive species, he said. 

“From the average person seeing something odd in their garden and reporting it, to the state and federal epistemologist that are doing the response, and everyone in between, are playing a really important role in detecting Asian giant hornets, as well as responding to it and making plans to eradicate it,” Salp said. 

Spichiger said it was disappointing to know the hornet could survive winter in Washington, but it doesn’t change the agency’s plan to eradicate the infestation. 

“It is my belief that we are still very early on for an infestation which gives us an opportunity to use everybody’s eyes and ears, find out where it is and wipe it out where we find it,” Spichiger said.

Asian giant hornets can be reported at agr.wa.gov/hornets, pestprogram@agr.wa.gov or by calling 800/443-6684. People who collect a specimen should put it in the freezer until it can be identified. More information on the hornet can be found online at agr.wa.gov/departments/insects-pests-and-weeds/insects/hornets.