While no confirmed northern giant hornet sightings have been made in Whatcom County this year, state entomologists are inspecting whether the invasive hornet was found dead in Burley, a small community in Kitsap County.
Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) announced on October 15 that it had received a report of the suspected hornet. WSDA public engagement specialist Karla Salp said the department was working to obtain the specimen, and if received, it would conduct DNA testing to confirm the specimen’s identity and see if it was connected to the hornet nests found in east Blaine.
Salp said the report, which included a photo, appeared credible. She declined to speculate how the hornet could have traveled to Burley, about halfway between Port Orchard and Gig Harbor on the Kitsap Peninsula.
The northern giant hornet, widely known by its nickname, “murder hornet,” was introduced to Washington state and B.C. in 2019. After the hornet was discovered in Blaine in December 2019, state entomologists eradicated the first northern giant hornet nest found in east Blaine in October 2020. In 2021, three nests related to “nest zero” were eradicated in east Blaine. No hornets have been confirmed in Whatcom County since. The last confirmed hornet found in B.C. was in 2021, when one decayed hornet was discovered north of east Blaine.
The hornets will be considered eradicated from Whatcom County if no hornets are detected this year, WSDA previously told The Northern Light.
To date, east Blaine is the only location in the U.S. where northern giant hornet nests have been confirmed, bringing a national spotlight to the community.
In response to the suspected hornet on the Kitsap Peninsula, WSDA officials said they were setting traps in the area and asked that people report potential sightings. Citizen reports contributed to WSDA locating each of the hornet nests found in east Blaine, WSDA has previously said.
Salp said WSDA continues to trap in Whatcom County and encourages residents to report any possible sightings as well.
“We haven’t given up,” she said. “We want to encourage people to keep their eyes open.”
The hornets are typically 1.5 to 2 inches long with orange-and-black bodies. East Blaine residents previously said the apex predator sounded similar to a humming bird and observed them feeding on paper wasps. The worker hornets are active from late summer through fall.
Anyone who believes they see a northern giant hornet should take a photo, if it is safe to do so, and report it online at bit.ly/3cYpOId, email hornets@agr.wa.gov or call 800/443-6684.
For more information on helping WSDA fight the northern giant hornet, visit bit.ly/45MUgAi.
