First male murder hornet spotted in U.S., now Washington State hunts for the nest

For the first time, a male murder hornet has been spotted in the United States, officials say, triggering a massive hunt for a giant hornet nest nearby.

The hornet was captured in a bottle trap near Custer, Washington State, by the State Department of Agriculture. The trap was retrieved on July 29 and processed in the state’s entomology lab on Aug. 14.

“Trapping a male giant hornet in July initially came as a surprise,” Sven Spichiger, WSDA managing entomologist, told KOMO news . “But further examination of the research and consultation with international experts confirmed that a few males can indeed emerge early in the season.”

Murder hornets, also known as Japanese giant hornets, are the world’s largest species of hornet, identifiable by their large, yellow-orange heads and prominent black eyes. They are native to East and South-East Asia, but as of this year, several have been spotted in Vancouver and Washington State.

Experts have warned residents to be cautious of the hornets due to their killer sting, but murder hornets aren’t typically aggressive towards humans unless their nest is displaced. However, they are especially threatening to bees, and have been known to slaughter entire bee hives, leaving the adult bees decapitated while carrying the young ones back to their nests as food.

Earlier this year, officials found a dead queen hornet in the same area and in 2019, a suspected bee kill was reported. So far seven hornets have been collected in total — two caught in traps and five brought in from the wild. This time, the early emergence of a male hornet has raised officials’ suspicions that there could be a nest close to where the hornet was found.

Officials have laid more than 1,400 traps in the hopes of capturing more hornets in the area. If successful, entomologists will tag and trace the hornets back to their colonies, which can then be removed. Residents “interested in trapping can still  build and set traps on their own property,” officials said in a notice published to the state website. If a citizen catches a hornet dead or alive, they should report it for testing, they added.

Hornet nests are typically found at ground level, in hollows near rotting roots, trunks and rodent burrows. However, nests have also been found above ground in hollow trees and human structures.