Tagging an Asian giant ‘murder’ hornet – credit: Washington Dept of Agriculture CC 2.0.

The American infestation of so-called ‘murder hornets’ has been cleared and the species eradicated from these shores thanks to an all-hands-on-deck effort.

First detected in British Colombia in the summer of 2019, the Asian giant hornet moved down into Washington where they quickly gained a reputation for painful, dangerous stings and the ability to wipe out honeybee colonies in minutes.

The Washington and U.S. Departments of Agriculture announced the eradication Wednesday, with the last confirmed sightings of the world’s largest hornet coming in 2021. Officials insist they will “remain vigilant” for holdouts.

“I’ve gotta tell you, as an entomologist—I’ve been doing this for over 25 years now, and it is a rare day when the humans actually get to win one against the insects,” Sven Spichiger, pest program manager of the Washington State Department of Agriculture, told a virtual news conference according to AP. 

The eradication couldn’t have been accomplished without the hard work of state residents, who for months diligently reported sightings. Others agreed to keep traps in their yards. Scientists employed a strategy often used on isolated island ecosystems to track invasive animals back to their haunts.

Known sometimes as the ‘Judas’ strategy, referring to the Biblical character, small radio transmitters were tied to the legs of three murder hornets, who then became a spies all unknowingly and led the researchers back to their nest.

Officials arrived and destroyed the nest just as several queens were starting to emerge from the brood.

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These hornets deliver 7-times more venom than a honeybee, and can sting multiple times straight through the fabric of a beekeeping suit.

The nickname ‘murder’ hornet was applied from instances in China where these hornets are native. They had killed 42 people in a single year, but the real risk they pose is less towards humans and more towards pollinators. A swarm of Asian giant hornets can kill and eat a whole honeybee colony in 90 minutes.

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They may have arrived in North America aboard shipping containers, or in flower pots, but despite one unconfirmed sighting, no hornets have been seen in three years. That sighting was alleged in Kitsap County, where entomologists are still keeping lookout on behalf of residents; human and honeybee alike.

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