WHATCOM COUNTY, Wash. – Another Asian Giant Hornet nest has been eradicated in Whatcom County.
State Department of Agriculture spokesperson Karla Salp says the four nests found so far haven’t been widespread.
“It was located in the same general area where we located the other two nests last year as well,” says Salp. “So, they still seem to be in that same isolated area around east of Blaine.”
She says this one was in a tree about 15 feet above the ground so crews had to bring in some special equipment.
The fact that more nests are being found raises some concerns, but Salp says their close proximity could be good news.
“We were late last year when we got that one nest out and there were a lot of queens,” says Salp. “So it’s possible that all of these nests are related to that nest for last year.”
But this queen had a different coloration so they’ll do DNA tests to find out if they’re related to that first nest.
The department asks citizen scientists to keep reporting sightings of the invasive species.
You can listen to the full interview with Karla Salp on our Podcast page.
Visit their website to report any sightings.
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