‘Murder hornets’: More nests likely to be found in US
Washington is unlikely to have seen its last Asian giant hornets, the state’s agricultural department has said, after scientists found 200 queens in one nest. The nest – the first in the US – of the so-called murder hornets was captured with a vacuum from a tree in October. Researchers believe more queens – which are responsible for establishing colonies – could remain at large. But they are confident the population can be brought under control. Asian giant hornets are an invasive species in the Pacific North-West. They target honeybees, which pollinate crops. The insect, which is native to Japan and South Korea, can slaughter a bee colony in a matter of hours. They can also spit venom and inflict numerous powerful stings on humans.
“We believe there are additional nests. There is no way to be certain we got them all,” Sven-Erik Spichiger, who researches insects with the Washington State Department of Agriculture, said in a press conference on Tuesday.
The nest was extracted from a tree in the city of Blaine, close to the Canadian border, on 24 October. Scientists then quarantined the 22cm (9 in) diameter nest and after 24 hours were able to open it to examine the contents.(BBC)…[+]