‘Murder hornet’ found in B.C. as first nest located in U.S.

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) — One of the province’s top honey bee experts confirmed Friday an Asian giant hornet was discovered in B.C. earlier this month as scientists in Washington state prepare to destroy the first nest of them found in the U.S.

The state Agriculture Department said Friday that it found the nest of so-called murder hornets near Blaine, Wash. — a half kilometre south of the border — after trapping some of the insects this week and using dental floss to attach radio trackers.

The nest is to be destroyed Saturday to protect native honeybees.

Finding a nest was expected, but still somewhat concerning, said Paul van Westendorp, provincial apiarist for B.C.

“The Asian giant hornet remains an elusive character and it is difficult to find them. It is quite possible that this particular invasive species will establish itself here on the West Coast,” he said.

“We do not have reason to believe that it is going to be very common, but we would like to prevent its establishment,” he added. “But if that is not possible, we will continue to reduce its presence, and if we find nests, to eradicate those pests.”

Murder hornet in B.C.

Just two weeks ago, an adult murder hornet was collected in B.C. close to the border, van Westendorp said.

“It is in our lab now and it turned out to be a worker and sterile female. And so there is no chance or anything further other than that we found a hornet.”

He added the province has hornet traps close to the border and continues to monitor for them.

However, the fact a nest has been found suggests the hornets are settling into the region.

“At this time of the year, it is very possible that these nests will start to produce offspring that can sexually mature,” he said. “And those will mate and will winter on their own to start new nests next year. So that is the reason why we are so determined to search for those nests,” van Westendorp said.

READ ALSO:

• Bug experts dismiss worry about US ‘murder hornets’ as hype

• ‘Murder Hornets,’ with sting that can kill, lands in Washington state

He added a murder hornet sting is not much different than that of a honey bee, but can be more severe.

“The worry that we have is that the Asian giant hornets are cavity nesters — in other words, they prefer to nest in the ground or in a hollow space, so they don’t produce these paper mache basketballs that you sometimes find in vegetation that you have with yellow jackets or those.”

The Asian giant hornets they are very large insects, he added, and when their nest is disturbed, they view that as a threat and come out to defend it.

“And their defense impulse is very, very strong, and the result of that is that people will get stung then multiple times. And because of the size of this insect, and multiple stings, may result in a serious situation for the person, or the livestock, or the wildlife, or whoever.”

He said when the hornets are just foraging on their own, to seek insect prey, they are harmless.

‘Not interested in us’

“They’re not interested in us. They will just ignore us.”

If someone in B.C. finds one or a nest, he advises to call B.C. apiary inspection at 778-666-0582.

The world’s largest hornets can decimate entire hives of honeybees and deliver painful stings to people.

Despite their nickname, the hornets kill at most a few dozen people a year in Asian countries, while other bugs cause more deaths in the U.S.

A total of 18 hornets have been found in the state since they were first seen last year near the U.S.-Canadian border.