BELLINGHAM — The Northern giant hornets, commonly referred to as “murder hornets,” appear to have been eradicated in Washington.
Locally, there have been no confirmed sightings since late summer 2021, when four Northern giant hornet nests were found and eradicated in Whatcom County.
An Bellingham resident posted on the Nextdoor website a photo of a large wasp that they thought was a Northern giant hornet outside their yard near Ted Edwards Park. The Washington State Department of Agriculture later confirmed the photo to be a horntail wasp, which cannot sting and is not a threat.
The Northern giant hornets have not been officially declared as eradicated in Whatcom County, said Amber Betta, the public information officer for the state ag department. The hornets would be officially declared eradicated following three years without detection, Betta said.
WSDA personnel are continuing detection efforts through a trapping team, community scientist trappers and public reports.
Northern giant hornets have a distinctive large yellow/orange head unlike local native wasps. They are up to 2 inches long and are the world’s largest hornet species, according to the WSDA website.
The hornets do not generally attack people, they normally target and destroy honey bee hives. The hornets kill entire hives by decapitating them. Northern giant hornets can attack people and pets if they feel threatened and their venom is extremely toxic. They are known for stinging their targets repeatedly.
“If it becomes established, this hornet will have negative impacts on the environment, economy, and public health of Washington State,” the WSDA website said.
A Bellingham Herald article from 2022 reported that the Northern giant hornets attacked a team attempting to eradicate their nest in August 2021 but their hornet suits prevented them from being stung.
If Northern giant hornets are detected in Whatcom County, the WSDA personnel would deploy traps, survey the area and notify the public to ask them to be on the lookout. If they find one hornet, they would attempt to track it back to the nest with the plan to eradicate it, Betta said in an email to the Bellingham Herald.
If a Northern giant hornet or hive is spotted, it can be reported to the WSDA the Hornet Watch Report Form or emailed to hornets@agr.wa.gov. A call can be made to 1-800-443-6684, but the WSDA states that online or email reporting is preferred.
