'Murder hornet' found in beetle trap in B.C., not far from nests in Washington state

VANCOUVER -

Officials in Washington state say it appears the Asian giant hornet has crossed the border again this year.

In messages posted on social media, the state's Department of Agriculture said authorities in B.C. recently found the species, also known by the memorable moniker "murder hornet," was found not far from the U.S. border.

The department said the hornet was found in a trap set for the invasive Japanese beetle, and was located in an area of B.C. not far from where nests were found and destroyed in Washington state.

"We will be working with B.C. and U.S. federal authorities to attempt to obtain and analyze DNA from the specimen in an attempt to see if the specimen was indeed from a U.S. nest," the department wrote on Twitter.

At least three nests built by Asian giant hornets north of Seattle have been destroyed this year, officials said previously. The fourth, found last year, contained 200 queens with the potential to start their own nests, scientists in Washington's Whatcom County said. 

In March, officials in Washington state and B.C. said working together with residents would be the key to tracking them this year, as many in 2020 were found by the public.

It is not yet known where in B.C. the latest hornet was found, though last year, six were found in the Fraser Valley region, so officials said the province planned to focus on that area in 2021.

But the invasive wasps have been found in areas north and south of the border, as well as on Vancouver Island.

They're about five centimetres long, with a seven-centimetre wingspan.

With files from The Canadian Press and The Associated Press