US and Canada setting up for showdown with 'murder hornets' as 2021 nesting season starts
2020 is over, but many of the nightmares it brought upon us still remain. Exhibit A: The "murder hornet."
Scientists from Washington, British Columbia and U.S. federal agencies joined forces in a virtual press conference Wednesday to declare open season on the Asian giant hornet, an invasive species that was first found in the U.S. and Canada in 2019.
The agencies are collaborating on their plans to track, trap and eradicate any Asian giant hornets they find in 2021.
The joint announcement comes as the predatory insects are setting up nests this spring.
"They start to emerge as early this time of year. And any queen that's detected by the public and taken out of commission takes out a potential nest," said Sven-Erik Spichiger, an entomologist for the Washington State Department of Agriculture. "This is not a species, the (Asian giant hornet), that we want to tolerate here in the United States."
There were 31 confirmed sightings of the hornets last year in Washington, half of which came from public tips, Spichiger said. "That does not count the some 500 specimens involved in the first nest eradication" in October 2020.
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In British Columbia, Canada, six hornet sightings were confirmed in 2020, all coming from public reports, said Paul van Westendorp, with the province's Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries.
"There are three major issues here," van Westendorp said. "The first one is public health and public exposure," including potential exposure to pets, wildlife and livestock animals.
These hornets are also recognized as a "serious honeybee predator," van Westendorp said. And they can impose ecological pressure on local habitats since they go after prey of all kinds.
Asian giant hornets can destroy entire hives of honeybees, critical to crops like raspberries and blueberries because they provide needed pollination.
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The insects are the world's largest hornet and can grow up to 2 inches long. Terrifying in appearance, their stings could also deliver a potentially deadly venom, especially for those who are allergic or if someone were to stumble upon a nest and sustain multiple stings, Spichiger said in 2020. The stings can cause necrosis and lead to organ failure, he added.
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John Bacon and Ryan W. Miller contributed to this report.
VIDEO Murder hornets in US and Canada tracked by scientists (usatoday.com)
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