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Invasive 'murder hornets' officially wiped out in US, officials say

Since the first sightings in 2019, the Washington State Department of Agriculture has worked to eradicate four different murder hornet nests in the state.

By Hayley Vawter Source FOX Weather

File: New parasitic wasp species tries to implant egg in fruit fly

(Courtesy: "Drosophila are hosts to the first described parasitoid wasp of adult flies" in nature, with authors' permission)

OLYMPIA, Wash. – The invasive hornet species known as "murder hornets" has been declared eradicated in the U.S.

The northern giant hornet was first reported in Washington state in 2019. The hornets were spotted again in the state in 2020 and 2021. Since then, no northern giant hornets have been found, according to the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA). 

The hornets are known for attacking and killing honeybees, giving them their "murder" title. According to the WSDA, northern giant hornets can kill an entire honey bee hive in as little as 90 minutes. 

The successful elimination of the invasive hornet was a combined effort between the WSDA and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). "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."

Since the first sightings in 2019, WSDA has worked to eradicate four different murder hornet nests in the state. The department continued to set up traps through 2024, but no more hornets were ever caught. 

POSSIBLE INVASIVE 'MURDER HORNET' SIGHTING REPORTED IN WASHINGTON STATE

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FILE- A close-up of a trapped Northern Giant Hornet in Washington state in 2020. (Washington State Department of Agriculture)

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FILE- A group of Washington State Department of Agriculture workers stand together holding a cannister of trapped Northern Giant Hornets in 2020. (Washington State Department of Agriculture)

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FILE- A Northern Giant Hornet being tracked by the Washington State Department of Agriculture in 2020.  (Washington State Department of Agriculture)

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FILE- A Washington State Department of Agriculture worker holds two of the dozens of Asian giant hornets vacuumed from a tree on October 24, 2020, in Blaine, Washington. (Elaine Thompson)

In October, a resident of Kitsap County, Washington, reported a suspicious hornet that could have been a northern giant hornet, but WSDA never had access to the hornet species to determine if it was a murder hornet. The WSDA said it continues to set traps in the area and encourage community outreach to report any sightings. So far, the WSDA said both trapping and outreach haven't led to any official sightings. 

The WSDA commends the public for their help in identifying and reporting the invasive hornets over the years. "Without the public’s support for this effort, it is unlikely we would be announcing the eradication of northern giant hornet today," said Sven Spichiger, WSDA pest program manager. 

"All of our nest detections resulted directly or indirectly from public reports. And half of our confirmed detections came from the public. The people of Washington can be proud that we did this by working together," Spichiger said. 

Though northern giant hornets have been declared eradicated from Washington, the WSDA said they won't stop encouraging the community to keep an eye out, and they will, too. "They got here once and they could do it again," Spichiger said.