Officials confirm 3 new sightings of Asian giant hornets

Associated Press

BLAINE, Wash. – Officials confirmed three new sightings of Asian giant hornets in Whatcom County, increasing to 12 the number that have been reported there.

The Bellingham Herald reported the total represents the first sightings of the hornets in Washington state and the U.S. since they were first spotted in Whatcom in 2019.

All three recent sightings were found near Burk Road, southeast of Blaine, in late September, according to the Washington State Department of Agriculture.

Traps will be set up in the area. The goal is to catch live Asian giant hornets in those traps, tag them and track them back to their colony to destroy them so the invasive pests don’t become established in Washington state.

Usually about the size of an adult thumb, the Asian giant hornet, or Vespa mandarinia, is the world’s largest hornet species. They are identifiable by their large yellow/orange heads.

As for the most recent sightings, two were caught and killed — one on Sept. 21 and the second on Sept. 25. The person who reported the captures to state agriculture officials also submitted a photo that showed another Asian giant hornet attacking a wasp nest.

That is expected for this time of the year, according to Karla Salp, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Agriculture. The hornets attack yellow jackets and paper wasps as well as honeybee hives, she added.

The person also gave one dead Asian hornet to the state, Salp said, and it appears to be a worker.