More Asian giant hornet sightings in Birch Bay

Asian giant hornet sightings continue in Birch Bay as workers start appearing for the fall. The two most recent sightings occurred August 18 and 19, bringing the total count of confirmed hornet detections in Washington state to nine.

The August 18 sighting was at a restaurant on Birch Bay Drive. A restaurant patron was seated in the outdoor dining area when the hornet landed nearby, allowing the guest to take a photo of the hornet before it flew away. The patron then posted the photo on a Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) Facebook page but the agency was unable to determine if the hornet was a queen or worker from the photo.

On August 19, WSDA and U.S. Department of Agriculture officials were adding experimental traps with different bait in Birch Bay, near where an unmated queen was found July 14. While setting traps, a WSDA entomologist found a dead worker in a trap set by Birch Bay beekeeper Ruthie Danielsen, who has seven traps set near her hives.

“I felt enthralled because I actually caught one. It’s cosmic,” Danielsen said after WSDA entomologist Chris Looney texted her about the finding. “There are 2,000 traps. I got really excited in February, so to catch one is like ‘yay’ but also it’s certainly too close to my hives. My protection side tunes into my honeybees.”

The worker was significantly smaller than hornets previously found in the U.S., which, WSDA said in an announcement, highlights that Asian giant hornets can be 1.5 inches or smaller; they don’t all reach two inches. The hornets are also distinguished by their large orange heads and big black eyes.

Earlier in August, Danielsen installed two traps on her honey beehives based on traps made in Japan, where the hornet is native. The trap can trap a live hornet, protecting the hive. Duvall beekeeper Matt Waddington, who made the traps, gave Danielsen 14 to distribute to members of the Mount Baker Beekeepers Association.

Karla Salp, WSDA public engagement specialist, said Asian giant hornets typically forage 2-5 miles from their nest. Salp encouraged residents to stay vigilant in detecting the invasive hornet, as sightings are expected to increase as more workers emerge in September.

To date, WSDA has set 600 traps and almost 1,500 citizen and cooperator traps have been set in the state.

Of those approximately 2,100 traps, 68 are live traps set by WSDA, Salp said. Live traps are similar to the plastic bottle traps WSDA asked the public to set in July, but contain wire mesh to separate the hornet from the orange juice and rice cooking wine mixture. That keeps the hornet from drowning.

Additional live traps were set in Birch Bay a day after the August 19 detection as the agency increases its efforts to capture a hornet and track it back to its nest. WSDA would track a live hornet using radio tags developed in partnership with WSDA and the University of Washington.

“This is a marathon and we all need to keep looking,” Danielsen said.

To report an Asian giant hornet, call 800/443-6684 or visit bit.ly/34akL4H. More information on the traps beekeepers are putting on their hives can be found on Matt Waddington’s blog, aghtrap.com.