BLAINE, Wash. – The Washington State Department of Agriculture has eradicated an Asian Giant Hornet nest found near Blaine.
It’s the first nest found in Whatcom County since the hornets became active again this summer.
It was found in a dead alder tree in rural Whatcom County, about two miles from a nest that was eradicated last October and just a quarter mile from where an Asian Giant hornet was spotted by a Blaine resident on August 11th.
WSDA personnel first vacuumed 113 worker hornets then removed the nest which had nine layers of comb.
They found nearly 1,500 hornets in various stages of development inside the nest and used nets to catch another 67 hornets in the area.
The department transported the portion of the tree with the nest to Washington State University’s Bellingham extension for further analysis.
Managing entomologist Sven Spichiger says they expect to find more nests in the area and reports from the public are critical in helping locate them.
For instructions on setting your own trap, or to report sightings, visit agr.wa.gov/hornets.