Murder hornets resurfacing in Washington state, officials warn

'We believe, of course, we're dealing with a nest’

Agriculturalists in Washington are on the hunt for a nest of murder hornets after evidence that the huge insects were found in a city in Washington State last week.

Officials with the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) confirmed on Friday that six of the Asian giant hornets, otherwise known as murder hornets, had been discovered in Blaine, Washington, suggesting a nest had developed nearby.

"We believe, of course, we're dealing with a nest and we will be watching that particular area pretty close," Sven Spichiger said at a news conference on Friday.  

"We do hope to have this nest located within a couple of weeks, at the latest, and be talking to you about how we successfully eradicated a nest in the coming weeks."

The insect is the world’s largest species of hornet with a body length of about two inches. Its deadly sounding nickname was created in response to the hornet’s potentially fatal sting and its aggressive group attacks, particularly against bees.

Mr Spichiger warned that the hornets are entering their “slaughter phase” at this time of year, making the discovery and removal of the nest a matter of urgency.

“Asian giant hornet attacks and destroys honeybee hives. A few hornets can destroy a hive in a matter of hours. The hornets enter a ‘slaughter phase’ where they kill bees by decapitating them," the WSDA says.

“They then defend the hive as their own, taking the brood to feed their own young. They also attack other insects but are not known to destroy entire populations of those insects.”

The hornet species is mainly found in China, Japan, Thailand, South Korea and Vietnam and was first documented in Washington late last year.

It is responsible for an estimated 30 to 50 deaths per year in Japan, according to the United States Department of Agriculture. However, the murder hornet is considered to be a much greater threat to the bee population than it is to humans.

The agency shared photos last week of the captured hornets on Facebook, displaying them next to a yellow jacket to illustrate a size comparison.  Another photo showed one of the hornets attacking a wasp nest.

A scientist in the state managed to trap one Asian giant hornet near Blaine in recent days and officials tried to glue a radio tag to it so they could follow the hornet back to its nest, but they failed, Mr Spichiger, a department entomologist, said.

“It may be a very daunting task to find the exact location,” he said. “But, you know, that’s what we’re all prepared for, and looking forward to, finding that nest and taking it out.”

He encouraged  people continue to report any sightings of the hornets so they can continue their work in trying to locate the nest.

Fifteen of the hornets have been found since they were first seen in Washington in 2019, the agriculture department said.

Additional reporting by the Associated Press