Public can trap for Asian giant hornets starting July 1

The Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) is asking Whatcom County residents to set Asian giant hornet traps starting July 1, and keep them hanging until late fall.

WSDA will be keeping a close eye on Whatcom, Skagit, San Juan, Snohomish, King, Jefferson and Clallam county traps, but encourage all Washington residents to participate. Trapping is 22 weeks and goes until November.

Participants need to log traps on WSDA’s online map and check traps weekly, according to WSDA. People can use orange juice and rice cooking wine to make the same traps the public used last year, or a dark brown sugar trap that is new this year.

Although WSDA has been setting traps throughout spring, the agency is now asking the public to participate because July is when worker hornets are expected to appear. Queens grow their colonies in the summer and into the fall, with more hornets leaving the nest later in the season.

WSDA reached out to the public last year to help hunt for the world’s largest hornet. More than 1,200 Washington residents made homemade traps during 2020, which was the first time the state agency asked the public to participate in survey trapping.

Excluding the eradicated nest found in east Blaine, WSDA trapped 15 hornets and Whatcom County residents found another 16 during 2020. WSDA started the season trapping hornets in north Whatcom County but is adding more traps to Snohomish County after a deceased male hornet was discovered June 4. Entomologists believe the male hornet died before 2020, but are still trying to understand how it got to Washington.

The invasive hornet is usually 1-2 inches in length with orange-and-black stripes that can become darkened in the bait, according to WSDA.

If a live Asian giant hornet is found in a trap, call WSDA immediately at 800/443-6684. Visit WSDA’s website at bit.ly/3h9QnfA for more information on creating a trap and reporting its contents. People with questions can also email WSDA’s Pest Program at hornets@agr.wa.gov.

Hornet quarantine starts July 3

In other Asian giant hornet news, the hornet quarantine act that prohibits all live hornet species from being sold and knowingly transported to or through Washington was passed and will go into effect Saturday, July 3.

The restrictions also apply to infested sites, which are within 20 meters of a hornet’s nest and will guarantee WSDA access onto the property. For more information, visit the WSDA website at bit.ly/32bWV6k.