First US ‘murder hornet’ nest discovered in Washington state
- Officials plan to wipe out the nest to protect native honeybees, which are already under siege from mites, diseases, pesticides and loss of food
- Despite their name, ‘murder hornets’ kill at most a few dozen people a year in Asia – the real threat coming from their devastating attacks on bees
After weeks of searching, the agency said it found the nest of Asian giant hornets in Blaine, a city north of Seattle near the Canadian border. Bad weather delayed plans to destroy the nest Friday.
The world’s largest hornet at 5cm long, the invasive insects can decimate entire hives of honeybees and deliver painful stings to people. Farmers in the northwestern US depend on those honeybees to pollinate many crops, including raspberries and blueberries.
Despite their nickname and the hype around the insect that has stirred fears in an already bleak year, the hornets kill at most a few dozen people a year in Asian countries, and experts say it is probably far less. Meanwhile, hornets, wasps and bees typically found in the US kill an average of 62 people a year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said.
01:49
‘Murder hornets’ spotted in the US for the first time
The real threat from Asian giant hornets is their devastating attacks on honeybees, which are already under siege from problems like mites, diseases, pesticides and loss of food. A small group of the hornets can kill an entire honeybee hive in hours.