Northern giant hornet appears undetected in Washington state
Oct 11, 2022, 6:24 AM | Updated: 6:55 am
A Washington State Department of Agriculture worker displays an Asian giant hornet taken from a nest on October 24, 2020, in Blaine, Washington. (Photo by ELAINE THOMPSON/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
(Photo by ELAINE THOMPSON/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
The Asian giant hornet, renamed the Northern giant hornet, seems to have completely disappeared in Washington state.
Researchers with the Washington State Department of Agriculture said 960 giant hornet traps and 373 volunteer traps were set up in areas where hornets were believed to be over the summer.
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So far, none of the traps have attracted a single hornet.
This time of year is typically when the aggressive worker hornets leave their hives to forage and are usually found in traps.
Last year, many hornets were found in later summer. The year before, they weren’t trapped until the end of September. However, they could be out until November.
Researchers said it is possible the hornets have been eradicated.
Researchers said they will continue to set traps for three consecutive years showing no confirmed capture of any Northern giant hornets.
Experts said that in the fall, males and new queens leave their hives to mate. The mated queens then build a new nest, resulting in the formation of a colony in May.
Four hives have been removed from our state as of last year but currently, there are no signs of the bee predators in our state.
