US eradicates 2-inch long 'murder hornets', the bug that slays beehives

Agriculture and wildlife officials have declared the eradication of the so-called “murder hornet” from the United States five years after the invasive insects were first discovered in Washington state.

The northern giant hornet, as the species is officially known, has not been detected in the US for three years, the Washington State Department of Agriculture announced Wednesday. The hornets, native to Asia, were first identified in the US in December 2019 after sightings in Canada’s British Columbia earlier that year.

Known for their powerful sting and ability to spit venom, the hornets can be deadly to humans, though they are typically non-aggressive unless provoked. The insects pose a significant threat to honeybees, which are critical pollinators for crops. A single hornet colony can decimate a honeybee hive in hours, BBC reported.

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The hornets were eradicated using traps and public reports in the northwest corner of Washington state. The first US nest was destroyed in 2020 after officials attached a tracking beacon to a hornet, followed it to its colony, and eliminated the nest.

“This is a landmark victory in the fight against invasive species,” said Mark Davidson of the US Department of Agriculture in a news release.

In 2022, scientists set roughly 1,000 traps across the state. A single nest discovered in 2023 was swiftly destroyed, containing nearly 1,500 hornets in various stages of development. In total, four nests were eradicated, according to BBC’s report.

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While officials celebrated the milestone, they warned the hornets or other invasive species could reappear. “They got here once and they could do it again,” said Sven Spichiger, a pest specialist with the Washington State Department of Agriculture.

Officials are investigating an unconfirmed sighting from October 2024 and plan to set traps in the area as a precaution.

Despite their rarity, the 2-inch (5-centimetre) insects are reported to kill 50 to 75 people annually worldwide. In 2022, the Entomological Society of America renamed the species to “northern giant hornet” from “Asian giant hornet” to address concerns about anti-Asian bias.