4th Asian giant hornet found in Washington

BELLINGHAM, Wash. (AP) — A fourth Asian giant hornet has been found in northwest Washington.

A wiggling queen hornet was stepped on by a Bellingham resident, who reported it June 6 to the state Department of Agriculture. The USDA confirmed this week it was an Asian giant hornet, the Capital Press reported.

The hornet was found about 15 miles (24 kilometers) from where one was discovered May 27 and about 20 miles (32 kilometers) from where two were seen in December.

“We think they are really strong flyers and this could confirm that,” state agriculture department spokeswoman Karla Salp said Friday.

The two Asian giant hornets found in December were the first ever detected in the U.S. The hornet has also been seen in British Columbia.

The hornets found near Blaine originated from South Korea, according to a DNA analysis. Hornets analyzed in Canada originated from Japan, suggesting separate introductions.

The hornets are deadly to honey bees. The state agriculture department will hang hundreds of traps in Whatcom County this summer in hopes of learning whether the hornets are becoming established and a threat to pollinators.

As of Friday, the agriculture department had received over 1,970 reports online from people who suspect they have found an Asian giant hornet. Reports are coming from throughout the country, even though the hornet has not been found outside Whatcom County.

So far, the department has concluded 758 reports were false alarms. In more than 1,000 cases, the report did not have enough information to make a determination.

The department won’t start trapping until July when worker hornets become active, Salp said.

Washington and other Western states have successfully eradicated Asian and European gyspy moths by aerial spraying. That approach for the giant hornet would also kill bees, Salp said.