Washington ramps up efforts to trap, track ‘murder hornets’
Jul 17, 2020, 8:01 AM
Efforts to ramp up trapping Asian giant hornets have begun in Washington, with the state’s Department of Agriculture (WSDA) laying almost a dozen snares across parts of Bellingham.
How Washington is gearing up to fight the infamous ‘murder hornet’
Washington had its first sighting of 2020 of the so-called “murder hornet” back in late-May, spotted in Custer, roughly 16 miles north of Bellingham.
The Asian giant hornet is the world’s largest hornet, and a dangerous predator of honey bees, able to destroy an entire hive in a matter of hours. Entomologists in the state are working with the USDA, attempting to trap and eradicate the hornets to protect honey bees and the crops in Washington that depend on those bees.
Washington residents are encouraged to set up their own homemade traps between July and October of 2020, alongside a warning that the hornet’s stinger is longer than that of a honeybee, with venom that is far more toxic. Typical beekeeping equipment will not provide sufficient protection. Those who are allergic to bee or wasp stings should never approach an Asian giant hornet, nor should they participate in trapping.
Stop killing bees: You likely don’t have an Asian Giant Hornet
The WSDA has detailed instructions on the materials needed to construct your own trap, as well as specific procedures to help the department track the presence of the hornet (and locations of active traps). Specifically, it’s hoping to gather information from Whatcom, Clallam, San Juan, Jefferson, Skagit, and Island counties.
The department also lays out steps for anyone looking to participate in trapping for the duration of the season:
In order for trapping to be successful, those who participate should know that trapping is a commitment. It will require you to:
- obtain materials to build and maintain traps
- log your traps on WSDA’s online mapping system
- check your traps weekly for 17 weeks starting in July and into the fall
- each week, submit trap contents if they contain a bee, hornet, or wasp of any kind or if there does not appear to be a bee, wasp, or hornet, submit a photo of the trap contents
If you find a Asian giant hornet in your trap, do not handle the trap yourself, and contact the WSDA immediately at 1-800-443-6684.
In terms of discerning the difference between bees, wasps, and the Asian giant hornet, look for yellow coloring. Bumblebees have yellow stripes. Yellow jackets are yellow. So are wasps. The bald faced hornet is white and black. Even a sawfly, which can be big, has yellow markings. Asian Giant Hornets are orange.
If you think you see one, try to safely keep your distance and get a picture of it. Don’t kill it. Report it to the WSDA.
