Skip to main content
THAT STINGS

Murder Hornet Captured in Washington State Amid Plan to Eradicate Them

Formally known as the Asian Giant Hornet, the more aptly nicknamed Murder Hornet was captured during efforts to trap the beasts and eventually eradicate them.

2020-07-31T161351Z_1550829497_RC2G4I93PTJQ_RTRMADP_3_USA-HORNETS_pbmqce

WSDA handout via Reuters

By Barbie Latza Nadeau

Entomologists in Washington state have captured their first Murder Hornet (officially called an Asian Giant Hornet) in a bottle trap set near a lake in Whatcom County. The traps were set as part of a plan to capture and eventually eradicate the invasive insects who were first spotted in the state earlier this year. The hornets are the largest hornet species in the world and can slaughter an entire honeybee colony in a few hours, according to researchers. In Japan, where they are common, murder hornets kill between 30 and 50 people a year with their painful stings.

Read it at Seattle Times

TRENDING NOW