New ‘murder hornet’ nest located in Washington state

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An Asian giant hornet is shown flying with a bent tracker device that scientists used to follow the insect back to its nest. (WSDA Photo)

Tech has passed the test again in helping to track down another Asian giant hornet nest in Washington state.

About a week after one of the invasive, so-called “murder hornets” was spotted by a resident near Blaine, Wash., the Washington State Department of Agriculture said Thursday that it has located the first nest of 2021.

WSDA worked with representatives from the Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) and USDA’s Animal Plant Health Inspection Service to locate the new nest in a rural area of Whatcom County about a quarter mile from where a hornet was spotted attacking a paper wasp nest on Aug. 11. The nest is at the base of a tree.

Asian giant hornets enter and leave the nest entrance at the base of a tree in rural Whatcom County in Washington state. (WSDA Photo)

According to a WSDA news release, three hornets were netted, tagged with a radio tracker and released between Aug. 11 and Tuesday of this week. One hornet slipped out of its tracking device, another was never located, and one eventually led the team to the nest.

A WSDA tracking team and others searched the area Thursday beginning at 7:30 a.m. and the nest was spotted around 9:15 a.m.

WSDA says it will develop a plan to eradicate the nest, probably by next week.

Jessica Rendon, ODA entomologist, left, and Stacy Herron, USDA APHIS plant health safeguarding specialist, during the search using trackers to locate an Asian giant hornet nest. (WSDA Photo)

READ FULL STORY: https://www.geekwire.com/2021/new-murder-hornet-nest-located-washington-state-scientists-use-tiny-tracking-tech/

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