'Murder hornet' eradicated from the U.S., officials announce

So-called “murder hornets” have been eradicated from the U.S., officials announced Wednesday, five years after the invasive species was first identified in Washington state.

The northern giant hornet has not been detected in three years, prompting officials to announce its eradication from the U.S., the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) said in a joint statement Wednesday.

Officials said the multiyear effort to eradicate the species began in 2019 and involved “extensive collaboration between state, federal, and international government agencies as well as significant support from community members and groups.”

“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 statement.

Sven Spichiger, WSDA pest program manager, pointed to the public’s help, noting that “all of our nest detections resulted directly or indirectly from public reports.” He added that half of all confirmed hornet detections also came from the public.

“We are proud of this landmark victory in the fight against invasive species,” Mark Davidson, deputy administrator at USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, said in the statement. “The success of this effort demonstrates what’s possible when agencies and communities unite toward a common goal.”

Officials first detected the northern giant hornet in British Columbia in August 2019. It was detected in the U.S., in Washington state, in December 2019.

The WSDA “found and eradicated” a hornet nest in October 2020, and three more in August and September 2021. The agency said it continued trapping efforts through this year.

The murder hornets could have posted a “significant threat” to honey bees, as well as other pollinators and other native insects, officials said, noting the species has the ability to kill an entire honey bee hive in 90 minutes.

The insects are also a threat to humans as their sting is more dangerous than a honey bee’s, officials said.

In October, a citizen reported a suspicious hornet sighting in Kitsap County, Washington, officials said, but the WSDA was never able to obtain the hornet, so it could not be tested to confirm if the species of murder hornets popped up in a new area.

The WSDA said it placed traps in the area and it is encouraging others to report if they see any hornets. So far, efforts by the WSDA have not yielded any more evidence that murder hornets have infiltrated the area, bit it will keep trapping there in 2025.

“Luckily, we were already on the lookout for hornets when they showed up in Washington in 2019,” Spichiger said. “Although they are now eradicated from the state, we’ll always be keeping an eye out for them and encourage community members to do the same. They got here once and they could do it again.”