Northern giant hornet, commonly known as “Murder Hornet,” Used to be was abolished in AmericaAgriculture officials said on Wednesday.
unlucky nickname invasive species It was confirmed to be in the US in 2019 after information was received by Washington state authorities. Verified two reports Hornet's. Efforts to locate and get rid of them began rapidly.
The 2-inch-long hornet, whose sting is longer than that of a common wasp, can deliver powerful venom, but is largely harmless. BEES And other insects, not humans. Eradication efforts began nationwide due to the hornet's threat to bees and agriculture.
“By tackling this threat head-on, we not only protect pollinators and crops, but also the industries, communities and ecosystems that depend on them,” said Dr. Mark Davidson, Deputy Administrator of USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. ” A news statement.
How the “Murder Hornets” were eliminated
Officials said state, federal and international government agencies worked together to eliminate “murder hornets” in the US.
To do this, entomologists first had to find hornets' nests. finding nests That can be a challenge, because hornets usually make their nests in wooded areas, often in underground cavities, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In some cases, entomologists capture a live hornet, attach a radio tag to it, release it, and track the hornet back to its nest. Figuring out how to safely attach the radio tag without damaging the Hornet was a hurdle.
After finding the nest in a tree, a team sealed the nest with foam, wrapped the tree in plastic and sucked the horns out with a vacuum. They also injected carbon dioxide into the tree to kill any remaining antlers.
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In 2022, scientists said they are setting about 1,000 hornet traps in Washington. Hornets caught in nets help scientists find nest sites. Last year, Washington state officials destroyed a nestAbout 1,500 hornets were found “in various stages of development”.
The public also helped officials locate hornet nests. Without help from the public, there's a good chance the hornet could persist for years to come, Sven Spichiger, insect program manager for the Washington state Department of Agriculture, said during a news conference Wednesday.
“All of our nest discoveries resulted directly or indirectly from public reports,” Spichiger said in a press release. “And half of our confirmation came from the public.
Could the Hornet come back to America?
While officials in Washington celebrated the eradication of the invasive hornet species, Spichiger acknowledged that they may return to the U.S. He said officials will continue to keep an eye on the hornets and encouraged community members to do the same.
“They've been here once and they can do it again,” Spichiger said.
It's unclear how the hornets first arrived in the U.S., though they may be an invasive species, CBS News previously reported.unwitting hitchhiker“On things like shipping containers.
Even now, five years after the hornets first appeared in the U.S., Spichiger said officials will never know how they got into the country.
What makes “Murder Hornet” unique?
The hornet, an invasive species native to Asia, can kill an entire hive of bees in just 90 minutes, according to agriculture officials.
“Hornets 'can enter'slaughter stage'Where they decapitate the bees and destroy their entire hives. According to the Washington State Department of Agriculture, the hornets then defend their hive, and take the baby to feed their young. “They also attack other insects, but have not been known to destroy entire colonies of those insects.”
Hornets generally attack people or pets only when threatened, but may sting repeatedly.
The hornet species has a large orange or yellow head and black and orange stripes on its body.
They were first detected in North America in British Columbia, Canada, in August 2019, and then confirmed in Washington state in late 2019, officials said.
When this species first reached America, it was known as Asian giant hornetBut in July 2022, the Entomological Society of America adopted “Northern Giant Hornet” as the common name of the species. The organization also adopted the name southern giant hornet as the name for a closely related species.
President of the organization, “Common names are an important tool for entomologists to communicate with the public about insects and entomology.” jessica ware Said at that time. “The Northern Giant Hornet is scientifically accurate and easy to understand, and it avoids creating fear or discrimination.”
While the US appears to have gotten rid of them, at least for now, scientists in Spain reported sightings of the hornet species in Europe last month. He described two sightings of the Hornet in the journal Ecology and Evolution,