WASHINGTON, D.C – A piece of local history is now being displayed on the national stage as a Whatcom Asian giant hornets nest gets its own exhibit at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History in the nation’s capital.
The “Murder Hornet” nest was discovered and eradicated in Blaine back in 2020, and was the first of its kind in the country.
Birch Bay beekeeper Ruthie Danielson bought the nest last year.
“I understood that the scientists hadn’t completed their research on it,” said Danielson. “I reached out and said we need to make sure that they’re able to do that and that we can use it to educate the local population.”
She displayed the nest at the Northwest Washington Fair in Lynden last summer and agreed to allow the world-famous national museum to use it in an exhibition.
She says knowledge about the species and its habitat will help efforts to eradicate it from our region.
The Northern Light reports the exhibition is on display at the Smithsonian through July 2024.