WHATCOM COUNTY, Wash. — 2023 was the second year without a confirmed northern giant hornet (NGH) (formerly known as Asian giant hornet) sighting since they were first found in 2019 in Nanaimo, Canada, and soon after in the eastern Blaine area, marking their first confirmed North American sightings.
NGHs are known to attack and destroy honeybee hives with a few hornets being able to destroy an entire hive in a matter of hours.
Federal guidelines require 3 consecutive years without a confirmed detection to declare the NGHs eradicated from the area. So, efforts are gearing up again this year to continue trapping and monitoring for the presence of Vespa mandarinia, commonly referred to as NGH, in Whatcom County. Citizen participation is again being requested.
While NGH trapping for 2024 does not start until July 1st, citizens are encouraged to begin monitoring paper wasp nests in June. NGHs have been noticed to repeatedly attack paper wasp nests.
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Citizens are also encouraged to build and register hornet traps beginning in July when worker hornets start leaving the nests to forage. Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) officials advise to wait until July to set traps, “Traps at this point are likely only to unnecessarily kill native insects with only a very remote possibility of trapping a queen.”
Queens do emerge before the workers do according to the WSDA.
In the spring, overwintering queens begin to emerge. They are known to feed on carbohydrates like tree sap. In late May 2020, one deceased mated queen was detected in Custer, Wash. In June 2020, one deceased queen was flattened in Bellingham. Both deceased queens were reported by watchful citizens.
After they emerge, mated queens attempt to start a nest. Unmated queens will be unsuccessful in establishing a functional nest.
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Click for more informationIf you suspect you see a northern giant hornet, report it and include a photograph if possible.
– Washington State Department of Agriculture
Since the first NGH nest was discovered and destroyed in Nanaimo, British Columbia in 2019, there have been multiple sightings and captures in northern Whatcom County areas in and around Blaine. Live captures have been equipped with electronic tracking devices and followed to 4 nests located in nearby Alder trees. 1 such nest was located in 2020 and 3 in 2021. All these nests were eradicated. There have been no confirmed sightings of NGH in Washington state in the 2 years since.
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