Officials declare victory over 'murder hornets'
State and federal officials declared victory over northern giant hornets, also known as “murder hornets,” in a Thursday press release from the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA).
The WSDA said the agency alongside the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) “have declared the northern giant hornet (Vespa mandarinia) eradicated from Washington and the United States.”
“I’m incredibly proud of our team, which has dedicated years of hard work to safeguarding our state and the nation from this invasive threat to our native pollinators and agriculture,” WSDA Director Derek Sandison said in the release. “I’d also like to acknowledge the federal, state, and local support that made this feat possible. This success is the result of our combined efforts.”
Northern giant hornets, which are invasive, were first seen in the U.S. in the Evergreen State five years ago. Experts have told the public that the hornets don’t often attack people and pets, but may do so when threatened. They have venom that can result in death.
“We are proud of this landmark victory in the fight against invasive species,” the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Deputy Administrator Mark Davidson said in the WSDA release. “The success of this effort demonstrates what’s possible when agencies and communities unite toward a common goal. USDA played a key role by providing critical funding, technology, personnel and research support, and scientific expertise that helped WSDA eradicate this pest.”
Beyond a potential, yet uncommon, threat to humans, northern giant hornets are a bigger risk for bees as well as other insects.