BLAINE, WASHINGTON — They're back! The first live Asian giant “murder” hornet of 2021 has been spotted in Washington state — and it was caught in the act of living up to its name, attacking a wasp nest. <br /> <br /> <br />The news has scientists worried that America’s honey bees could get wiped out. Here are the details: <br /> <br /> <br />Asian giant hornets, colloquially known as murder hornets, are back in Washington state after a resident spotted a live insect, officials at the Washington State Department of Agriculture confirmed on Thursday, August 12. <br /> <br /> <br />The sighting occurred on August 11, near a rural area east of Blaine, in Whatcom County, Washington. <br /> <br /> <br />This is roughly two miles from where the first murder hornet nest, which contained 500 live specimens, including 200 queens, was eradicated in October of 2020. <br /> <br /> <br />The state’s agriculture department said it will set live traps in an attempt to catch a live hornet, tag it, and track it back to the nest. <br /> <br /> <br />Murder hornets kill honeybees, which are already under siege from mites, diseases and other factors. <br /> <br /> <br />They usually attack honey bee hives in the late summer or early fall. <br /> <br /> <br />A small group can kill an entire honey bee hive in a matter of hours. <br /> <br /> <br />Normally found in East Asia, nobody knows quite how the hornets came to America, but since 2019, there have been several sightings in Washington state. <br /> <br /> <br />With a length of 5 centimeters, they are the world's largest hornets — and they have an extremely painful sting. <br /> <br /> <br />According to the Washington State Department of Agriculture, the hornets enter a “slaughter phase” where they kill bees by decapitating them. They then defend the hive as their own, while taking the brood to feed their own brood. <br /> <br /> <br />The agency has already killed six or seven hives in Washington state since 2019. <br /> <br /> <br />
