Invasive giant hornet which can wipe out beehives declared eradicated in US
The northern giant hornet was first spotted five years ago but there have been no further sightings since 2021.
The world’s largest hornet, an invasive breed dubbed the “murder hornet” for its dangerous sting and ability to slaughter a honey beehive in a matter of hours, has been declared eradicated in the US.
The giant insect was first spotted five years ago in Washington state near the Canadian border.
The Washington and US departments of agriculture announced the eradication on Wednesday, saying there had been no detections of the northern giant hornet in Washington since 2021.
The news represented an enormous success that included residents agreeing to place traps on their properties and reporting sightings, as well as researchers capturing a live hornet, attaching a tiny radio tracking tag to it with dental floss, and following it through a forest to a nest in an alder tree.
Scientists destroyed the nest just as a number of queens were just beginning to emerge, officials said.
