A Crash Course on Tracking, Trapping, and Killing ‘Murder Hornets’

A Crash Course on Tracking, Trapping, and Killing ‘Murder Hornets’
Austin Johnson (L), Jake Bodart (C) and Jessica Rendon (R) of the Oregon Department of Agriculture look at the advanced telemetry system used for tracking while wearing hornet extraction suits, during an Asian giant hornet field training day held by the Washington State Department of Agriculture Pest Program, at Birch Bay State Park near Blaine, Wash., on Aug. 18, 2021. Lindsey Wasson/Reuters
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BLAINE, Wash.—The first Asian giant hornet nest of the year has been found in Washington state, and plans are being developed to eradicate it, likely next week, the state’s agriculture department said on Thursday.

The so-called stinging “murder hornets,” the world’s largest hornets, can grow to two inches in length and prey on native bee and wasp populations, consuming honeybee hives and threatening agriculture.