A sample of a specimen of a dead Asian giant hornet from Japan, also known as the murderous hornet
Los Angeles, United States:
After months of meticulous monitoring, authorities in Washington state in the western United States said on Friday they had discovered the first-ever nest of the deadly Asian giant hornet in the country.
The nest was discovered Thursday by entomologists from the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) on a property in Blaine, near the border with Canada, the agency said in a statement.
He added that an attempt to eradicate the wasp nest – the largest species of hornet in the world also known as the “deadly hornet” – would take place on Saturday.
“The successful detection of a nest comes after a WSDA trapper collected two living giant Asian hornets on October 21 (Wednesday), caught in a new type of trap the agency had placed in the area,” said the press release.
“Two more hornets, also alive, were found in another trap on the morning of October 22, when WSDA personnel arrived in the area to mark the previously trapped hornets with radio trackers and follow one to their location. nest, ”he added.
State scientists have been actively searching for the Asian giant hornet since the first such insect was detected in December 2019 and after one of the wasps was trapped in July in Whatcom County, where Blaine is located.
Several other invasive pests not native to the United States were subsequently captured, all in the same region.
The WSDA believes there was a good chance that there were more nests and “stopping this cold is very crucial,” Sven Spichiger, a WSDA entomologist, said at a press conference on Friday after- midday.
“If established, this hornet will have negative impacts on the environment, economy and public health in Washington state,” said the WSDA.
It is not known how the wasps – which have orange and black markings and are nearly two inches long – got to the United States.
Scientists warn that unless the insect is eliminated within the next two years, it could spread to North America and establish itself permanently.
Hornets, which are native to East Asia and Japan, usually don’t attack people, but they are known to decimate bee colonies.
Hornets kill bees by literally biting their heads.
The hornets then occupy honeycombs for up to a week or more, feeding on the pupae and larvae.
In Japan, where insects are hunted and eaten, 30 to 50 people die each year from their poisonous and excruciating sting.
(This story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
