Many might have cheered at the eradicated Asian giant hornet nest last year, but the fight against the invasive species isn’t over in Whatcom County. The first live Asian giant hornets found in 2021 were recently detected in east Blaine, just two miles from where the first nest in the U.S. was eradicated in October, and scientists are now looking for a nest.
On August 11, a worker hornet was photographed preying on a paper wasp nest under the eaves of a house near H Street Road, according to the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) map of reported hornet sightings. The state agency confirmed the sighting August 12.
“This hornet is exhibiting the same behavior we saw last year – attacking paper wasp nests,” WSDA managing entomologist Sven Spichiger said in a statement. “If you have paper wasp nests on your property and live in the area, keep an eye on them and report any Asian giant hornets you see. Note which direction they fly off as well.”
State entomologists captured a live worker hornet August 12 and August 13 on the homeowner’s property and another on the neighboring property, WSDA public engagement specialist Karla Salp said.
In attempt to track the two hornets back to their nest on August 13, scientists placed radio tags on the hornets, fed them strawberry jam for energy before flying and then released the hornets. The hornets stayed in the area for a couple of hours before they flew away.
On August 14, the scientists found one of the radio tags that wasn’t attached to a hornet. By press time, scientists were still searching for the second radio tag but were being slowed because of dense vegetation.
WSDA is hoping to also track the radio tag from a drone, instead of by foot as entomologists did to find the first east Blaine nest in 2020. Once activated, WSDA says the radio tags last up to two weeks.
In addition to the two hornets captured, WSDA has also seen a few more hornets flying around the area, Salp said.
The east Blaine homeowner who photographed the hornet declined to comment until the nest is found.
State entomologists eradicated the first Asian giant hornet nest found in the U.S. in a tree near Burk Road October 24, 2020. Last year, a homeowner helped entomologists locate the nest after spotting multiple hornets feeding on paper wasps on his home and tracking the direction the hornets flew.
WSDA is reminding the public that it is important to not kill the hornet, and instead, track the direction it flies to help entomologists locate the nest.
Half of the hornets found last year in the U.S. came from public reporting and all of the hornets in Canada were found last year from public reporting.
Although state entomologists hailed the nest eradication as a victory, they considered it found just in the nick of time because mated queens will leave the nest in late fall to find their overwintering spot and eventually start their own colony in the spring.
“If any queens had already left the nest, it was a few and very early,” Spichiger previously said after the eradication. “As far as we can tell, we got there just in time.”
WSDA plans to run DNA testing on the hornets to determine if they originated from last year’s nest, Salp said.
The state agency eradicated the nest at dawn, when the most hornets were expected to be there, but officials said they still expected a few stragglers. Eight hornets were found in east Blaine after the eradication: Three queens, one male and one worker found October 29, 2020; a male hornet removed from a trap October 30, 2020; a live male captured November 1, 2020; and a live male hornet November 12, 2020.
The invasive species was first sighted in Whatcom County in 2019 and can grow up to 2 inches long. The orange-and-black worker hornets emerge in late summer to forage for protein, when they are known to decapitate honeybee hives in a matter of hours. In addition to honeybees, analysis from the east Blaine nest showed the invasive species was also preying on flies, yellow jackets, dragonflies, butterflies and moths.
Paul van Westendorp, provincial apiculturist for B.C., said additional traps were scheduled to be set August 16 since the sighting was only a half-mile from the border. He noted it will be hard for the hornets to survive if they reproduce within the same colony.
“It’s very overwhelmingly likely the current nest or nests originated from the nest that was destroyed,” van Westendorp said. “It will be a big challenge from a biological perspective and we will do our darndest to make it the hardest for them to survive.”
B.C. has not had any confirmed hornet sightings in 2021.
WSDA is also looking for the public to allow WSDA staff to set traps on properties east of Blaine, north of Lynden and west of Sumas. Whatcom County residents can contact WSDA about the traps by emailing Cassie Cichorz at ccichorz@agr.wa.gov with their contact information and address.
To report a hornet sighting, visit the WSDA website at agr.wa.gov/hornets, email hornets@agr.wa.gov or call 800/443-6684.
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