Vespa Crabro

Previous BYGL Alerts noted that the Asian Giant Hornet (Vespa mandarinia) had never been officially confirmed in North America. That changed late last season when the non-native hornet was found in the northwestern corner of Washington State and just across the U.S. – Canadian border on Vancouver Island, British Columbia.

When you read or hear about "Asian hornets," you need to keep two things in mind. First, the "Asian" moniker has been commonly applied to at least three hornet species native to various Asian regions. The second thing to remember is that none of these hornets have been found living in the U.S.