WSDA eradicates fourth Asian giant hornet nest

Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) eradicated the fourth Asian giant hornet nest found in the U.S. September 23. The nest was found nearly 20 feet up in an alder tree in east Blaine, near the same area as the other nests found in 2020 and 2021.

Due to the nest’s height, WSDA enlisted the help from Dan DeVoe, the Washington State Department of Natural Resources baker trail steward, who helped the state agency cut the tree down and open it for entomologists to examine.

The nest had 10 combs that contained one queen and 776 worker hornets in various life stages, WSDA public engagement specialist Karla Salp said, which makes it the second largest nest eradicated in the U.S. No virgin queens or male hornets were discovered.

For comparison, the third nest eradicated September 11 had 449 hornets in various life stages, making it the smallest of the nests found in Whatcom County, while the second nest eradicated late August was the largest with 1,500 hornets.

The queen had a slightly different color than other queens, which Salp attributes likely to be natural variation, but said WSDA will conduct DNA tests. DNA tests have not yet been done on the other two nests found in Whatcom County in 2021, Salp said.

Some hornets tried defending the nest during the 7 a.m. eradication, but the entomologists’ eradication suits protected them from being stung, Salp said.

There have been no other confirmed hornet detections since the eradication. A Blaine resident photographed a large insect east of Everson on September 16 and submitted it to WSDA. Although the state agency couldn’t confirm the hornet, WSDA wrote in a Facebook post that its appearance was consistent with an Asian giant hornet. WSDA wrote scientists were concerned because the hornet was spotted much farther east than any 2021 sightings, all of which have been within a couple of miles of the nest eradicated in 2020 near Burk Road.

Despite the 2021 nests being found just miles from the U.S./Canada border, Canadian authorities have not confirmed any hornet detections this year. There were six sightings in B.C. after a hornet nest – the first in North America and only one found in Canada – was destroyed in Nanaimo in September 2019.

The invasive, apex predators are identified by their large size, measuring up to 2 inches, and orange-and-black bodies with almond-shaped eyes. They are also described to sound similar to a hummingbird.

To report a suspected Asian giant hornet detection, visit agr.wa.gov/hornets, email hornets@agr.wa.gov or call 800/443-6684.