Murder Hornet

On August 19, 2021, WSDA announced during an AGH webinar that the second AGH nest discovered in the U.S. was found in the base of a dead alder tree in a rural area in Whatcom County just east of Blaine, WA. The site was about one-quarter mile from the Canadian border. Last week, the WSDA announced that the nest had been destroyed.

A recent announcement by the Washington Department of Agriculture has put the Asian Giant Hornet (AGH) (Vespa mandarinia) back in the news. A dead male hornet was submitted by a homeowner located in the state of Washington just outside the geographical locations of the original detections in 2019 and 2020.

The Asian Giant Hornet (Vespa mandarinia) was found late last season in the northwestern corner of Washington State and just across the U.S. – Canadian border on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. It has not been found elsewhere in North America, but we must remain vigilant.