This is where the state’s first 2021 confirmed report of an Asian giant hornet was made
A giant Asian hornet has been found near Marysville, becoming the first confirmed sighting in 2021 of what are popularly known as “murder hornets.”
A resident found the dead hornet and reported the find via the online Hornet Watch Report Form on Friday, June 4, the Washington State Department of Agriculture reported on Wednesday, June 16, after confirming that the find was an Asian giant hornet.
It marked the first time an Asian giant hornet was found in Snohomish County, officials said.
State entomologists said the “specimen was very dried out and they observed that it was a male hornet.”
They said it appeared “to be unrelated to the 2019/2020 Asian giant hornet introductions in Canada and Whatcom County,” noting the results of DNA testing and different coloring.
“Given the time of year, that it was a male, and that the specimen was exceptionally dry, entomologists believe that the specimen is an old hornet from a previous season that wasn’t discovered until now,” state agriculture officials said in the release.
“New males usually don’t emerge until at least July. There is no obvious pathway for how the hornet got to Marysville,” officials said.
Up to 2 inches long, the Asian giant hornet, or Vespa mandarinia, is the world’s largest hornet species. They are identifiable by their large yellow/orange heads.
Their native range is Asia.
The hornets are known for their painful stings.
They will attack people and pets when threatened. People should be extremely cautious near them, state agriculture officials have said, and those who have allergic reactions to bee or wasp stings should never approach an Asian giant hornet.
The invasive hornets are feared for the threat they pose to honeybees and, by extension, the valuable crops in Washington state that the bees pollinate, including blueberry and other cane crops in the region that includes Whatcom County.
They also prey on local pollinators such as wasps, posing a threat to the local ecosystem, state entomologists have said.
Scientists will set at least 1,200 traps for Asian giant hornets this summer as part of ongoing efforts to keep the invasive pests from becoming established in Whatcom County and elsewhere in Washington state.
Whatcom County has been ground zero in the battle ever since the first Asian giant hornet was found in Blaine in December 2019 and the first nest was discovered southeast of Blaine and destroyed on Oct. 24.
More on 2021 sighting
State and federal officials monitoring the hornets are puzzled.
“The find is perplexing because it is too early for a male to emerge,” said Osama El-Lissy, deputy administrator for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Plant Protection and Quarantine program.
“Last year, the first males emerged in late July, which was earlier than expected. However, we will work with WSDA to survey the area to verify whether a population exists in Snohomish County,” El-Lissy said.
The state now will set traps in the area of the find and encouraging citizen scientists to set traps in Snohomish and King counties.
“None of this would have happened without an alert resident taking the time to snap a photo and submit a report,” said Sven Spichiger, the state’s managing entomologist, in the release.
Last year, half of the confirmed Asian giant hornet sightings in Washington state came from the public, officials said.
Report hornets
Washington state residents can report possible sightings of an Asian giant hornet to the state Department of Agriculture online at agr.wa.gov/hornets, via email at hornets@agr.wa.gov, or by calling 1-800-443-6684.
Take a photo or keep a specimen if you can. They’re needed for confirmation.
Citizen science trapping instructions also are on the website.
More on the department’s Asian giant hornet effort can be found at facebook.com/groups/hornets.
This story was originally published June 16, 2021 at 10:39 AM.
