Third Asian giant 'murder hornet' nest of 2021 found in Washington state
Asha C. Gilbert, USA TODAY
After officials destroyed the second Asian giant hornet nest of 2021, a third one was found in Washington state.
The Washington State Department of Agriculture tweeted Saturday that it planned to eradicate the third nest and would have more updates in the next week.
The year's first Asian giant hornet nest was destroyed in August after it was found at the base of a tree in Whatom County. Agriculture department employees had put trackers on three of the hornets in hopes it would lead them to a nest.
The nest was found 2 miles from a nest found in 2020, and almost 1,500 hornets were found in various developmental stages, according to a news release from the agriculture department.
The department is asking people to report sightings of the invasive species. The hornets were first reported in the U.S. in 2019 near Blaine, Washington.
Asian giant hornets are the largest hornets in the world, up to 2 inches long, and got their "murder hornet" name for being the cause of up to 50 deaths a year in Japan where they are commonly found. "Murder hornets" also will kill bees and other insects.
No murder hornet deaths have been reported in the U.S.
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