First murder hornet nest of 2021 discovered near Canada-U.S. border

Vancouver -

The year's first nest of Asian giant hornets, or so-called "murder hornets," has been discovered near the Canada-U.S. border.

The Washington State Department of Agriculture says the nest was found in a rural area east of Blaine, Wash., not far from where a resident reported a live sighting last week.

WSDA officials caught, tagged and released three hornets with tracking devices in the area in the days that followed.

“One hornet slipped out of the tracking device, another hornet was never located, and one eventually led the team to the nest,” wrote the WSDA in a release.

Entomologists will now develop their plans to eradicate the nest, most likely next week.

Asian giant hornets are an invasive species and prey on honey bees and other native insects.

Experts say if they establish in B.C., they may pose a serious threat to our beekeeping and commercial pollination industries, which in turn will have serious consequences for local agriculture.

They typically nest in underground cavities, or above ground in tree stumps of forested areas.

"A small group of Asian giant hornets can kill an entire honey bee hive in a matter of hours,” warned the WSDA.

Asian giant hornets are the largest hornets in the world.

They are found throughout South and East Asia, and researchers believe they were likely brought to North America accidentally on container ships.

The insects were first seen in B.C. in 2019 in Nanaimo.

Several dead hornets were found in the Southern Fraser Valley last year, but no nests have been discovered as of November 2020 according to the Invasive Species Council of B.C.

Anyone who spots a Asian giant hornet is asked to report it to the council at 1-888-933-3722 or on its website.​