Scientists found an Asian giant hornet nest in east Blaine August 19, one-quarter of a mile from where the first hornet of 2021 was spotted nearly a week earlier near H Street Road.
The Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA), Oregon State Department of Agriculture (ODA) and USDA’s Animal Plant Health Inspection Service started searching the area where the nest was suspected 7:30 a.m. August 19. Scientists spotted the nest two hours later.
Scientists found the nest after attempting to track three hornets with a radio tag between August 11 and August 17. Only one hornet led scientists to the nest.
The nest will likely be eradicated next week after WSDA fine-tunes its eradication plan, according to WSDA.
“Teamwork has been the key to success with this effort,” WSDA managing entomologist Sven Spichiger said in a statement. “Whether it is the public reporting sightings and building traps or state and federal agencies working together, this is really a model for success in invasive species management.”
WSDA officials believe there could be more nests in the area and are asking for people to report Asian giant hornet sightings to agr.wa.gov/hornets.
The nest is the first to be found in the U.S. in 2021. WSDA eradicated another nest in east Blaine in October 2020.
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