In early May , a ado of alarming headlines warned us that a new wing beast had landed in the continental U.S. It was theAsian murder hornet(Vespa mandarinia ) , also call off the Asiatic giant hornet , a potentially 2 - in - long pest with a flimflam that one victimdescribedtoThe New York Timesas “ cherry - spicy thumbtacks being driven into my flesh . ” At the time , a few had been blot in Washington state , andentomologistswere set trap to enamour them and track them back to their nest . Now , they ’ve in conclusion find one in their grasp .
As CBS Newsreports , the Washington State Department of Agriculture ( WSDA ) find the hornet on July 14 in a bottle trap set near Whatcom County ’s Birch Bay . It ’s the only immobilize specimen so far ; Washington ’s late five sighting were all free - roaming .
“ This is supporting because it intend we be intimate that the sand trap work , ” Sven Spichiger , WSDA ’s pull off bugologist , say in apress release . “ But it also means we have piece of work to do . ”
aright now , the captured hornet ’s colony is likely abuzz with just one poove and some worker hornet , but that ’ll change after mating time of year begins in mid - September . New queens and other hornets will be born , and the farm community will soon wreak havoc on the field — especially its honeybees . Murder hornets target beehive , beheading thebeesand feeding the remnant thoraxes to their untried .
To keep the species from decimating the country ’s bee population ( not to mention stinging unsuspicious man ) , it ’s imperative that the WSDA place the hornets ’ hive and destroy them within the next two calendar month . The organization is presently install more trap and infrared television camera , hoping to bewitch a hot hornet they can tag and stick to back to its place .
apiarist and other locals are joining the elbow grease by setting their own trap , which you could learn how to dohere . And if you opine you see a murder hornet somewhere in Washington , you should report ithere .
[ h / tCBS News ]
