Asian Giant Hornets Officially Eradicated From U.S.

[Conservative Angle]

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Officials announced this week that the Asian Giant Hornet has been completely eradicated from the U.S. five years after it was first discovered in the state of Washington.

The announcement was made by the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) after there have been no reports of the invasive species for three years.

The statement said:

The eradication success was the result of a multiyear effort to find and eradicate the hornets, which began in 2019. It involved extensive collaboration between state, federal, and international government agencies as well as significant support from community members and groups, especially in Whatcom County.

Had the hornets become established in the country, they could have posed a significant threat to honey bees and other pollinators and native insects.

Asian Giant Hornets have the ability to kill an entire honey bee hive in just a little over an hour and their sting poses a significantly greater risk to humans than a honey bee sting.

Officials said that there was one alleged sighting of one of the hornets in October, but they were not able to locate it. They set traps in the surrounding area that did not turn up any specimens and will continue setting traps in the area throughout 2025 as a precautionary measure.

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The hornets were first detected in British Columbia, Canada, in August 2019 and were later discovered and confirmed in Washington state a few months later.

The statement added:

Although the two detections were close in time and location, DNA evidence suggests there were two different introductions as specimens from each location appeared to originate from different countries.

WSDA found and eradicated a single hornet nest in October 2020 and three nests in August and September 2021. All nests were inside alder tree cavities.

“We are proud of this landmark victory in the fight against invasive species,” said Dr. Mark Davidson, Deputy Administrator at USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

“The success of this effort demonstrates what’s possible when agencies and communities unite toward a common goal,” he added. “USDA played a key role by providing critical funding, technology, personnel and research support, and scientific expertise that helped WSDA eradicate this pest. By tackling this threat head-on, we protected not only pollinators and crops, but also the industries, communities, and ecosystems that depend on them.”

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