First live 'murder hornet' of 2021 reported in Washington state

NEW DELHI: Entomologists in Washington state confirmed reports of a live Asian giant hornet sighting on Thursday. It is the first confirmed sighting of the "murder hornet" in Washington this year, the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) said.
The report was first submitted by a Whatcom County resident on August 11, which was confirmed by WSDA entomologists the next day. The report included a photograph of the insect attacking a paper wasp nest in a rural area east of Blaine.
"This hornet is exhibiting the same behavior we saw last year -- attacking paper wasp nests," said Sven Spichiger, WSDA's managing entomologist. "If you have paper wasp nests on your property and live in the area, keep an eye on them and report any Asian giant hornets you see. Note the direction they fly off to as well."
The WSDA will be setting up traps in the region to catch the insect, tag it, and track it back to the nest. The British Columbia government will also set up additional traps in Canada since the "murder hornet" was spotted approximately half a mile from the US-Canadian border.
The Asian giant hornet is labelled as an invasive pest which is not to the US. It is the world's largest hornet, and can kill an entire honey bee hive in a matter of hours.