After months of meticulous tracking, authorities in the US state of Washington on Friday said they had uncovered the first-ever nest of the deadly Asian giant hornet in the country.
The nest was found on Thursday by Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) entomologists on a property in Blaine, near the border with Canada, the agency said in a statement.
It added that an attempt to eradicate the nest of wasps — the world’s largest hornet species also known as the “murder hornet” — would take place yesterday.
Photo: AP
“The successful detection of a nest comes after a WSDA trapper collected two live Asian giant hornets on October 21 [Wednesday], caught in a new type of trap the agency had placed in the area,” the statement said.
“Two more hornets, also living, were found in another trap the morning of October 22 when WSDA staff arrived in the area to tag the previously trapped hornets with radio trackers and follow one back to its nest,” it added.
Scientists in the state have been searching for the Asian giant hornet since the first such insect was detected in December last year and after one of the wasps was trapped in July in Whatcom County, where Blaine is located.
Several more of the invasive pest not native to the US were subsequently caught, all in the same region.
The WSDA believes there was a good chance that there are more nests and “stopping this cold is very crucial,” WSDA entomologist Sven Spichiger told a news conference on Friday afternoon.
“If it becomes established, this hornet will have negative impacts on the environment, economy and public health of Washington State,” the WSDA said.
It is unclear how the wasps — which have orange and black markings and are nearly 5cm in length — arrived in the US.
Scientists have said that unless the insect is eliminated in the next couple years, it could spread in North America and become permanently established.
The hornets, which are native to East Asia and Japan, usually do not attack people, but they are known for decimating honeybee colonies.
The hornets slaughter honeybees by biting their heads off. They then occupy honeybee nests for up to a week or more, feeding on the pupae and larvae.
FRAUD ALLEGED: The leader of an opposition alliance made allegations of electoral irregularities and called for a protest in Tirana as European leaders are to meet Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama’s Socialist Party scored a large victory in parliamentary elections, securing him his fourth term, official results showed late on Tuesday. The Socialist Party won 52.1 percent of the vote on Sunday compared with 34.2 percent for an alliance of opposition parties led by his main rival Sali Berisha, according to results released by the Albanian Central Election Commission. Diaspora votes have yet to be counted, but according to initial results, Rama was also leading there. According to projections, the Socialist Party could have more lawmakers than in 2021 elections. At the time, it won 74 seats in the
A Croatian town has come up with a novel solution to solve the issue of working parents when there are no public childcare spaces available: pay grandparents to do it. Samobor, near the capital, Zagreb, has become the first in the country to run a “Grandmother-Grandfather Service,” which pays 360 euros (US$400) a month per child. The scheme allows grandparents to top up their pension, but the authorities also hope it will boost family ties and tackle social isolation as the population ages. “The benefits are multiple,” Samobor Mayor Petra Skrobot told reporters. “Pensions are rather low and for parents it is sometimes
CONTROVERSY: During the performance of Israel’s entrant Yuval Raphael’s song ‘New Day Will Rise,’ loud whistles were heard and two people tried to get on stage Austria’s JJ yesterday won the Eurovision Song Contest, with his operatic song Wasted Love triumphing at the world’s biggest live music television event. After votes from national juries around Europe and viewers from across the continent and beyond, JJ gave Austria its first victory since bearded drag performer Conchita Wurst’s 2014 triumph. After the nail-biting drama as the votes were revealed running into yesterday morning, Austria finished with 436 points, ahead of Israel — whose participation drew protests — on 357 and Estonia on 356. “Thank you to you, Europe, for making my dreams come true,” 24-year-old countertenor JJ, whose
CANCER: Jose Mujica earned the moniker ‘world’s poorest president’ for giving away much of his salary and living a simple life on his farm, with his wife and dog Tributes poured in on Tuesday from across Latin America following the death of former Uruguayan president Jose “Pepe” Mujica, an ex-guerrilla fighter revered by the left for his humility and progressive politics. He was 89. Mujica, who spent a dozen years behind bars for revolutionary activity, lost his battle against cancer after announcing in January that the disease had spread and he would stop treatment. “With deep sorrow, we announce the passing of our comrade Pepe Mujica. President, activist, guide and leader. We will miss you greatly, old friend,” Uruguayan President Yamandu Orsi wrote on X. “Pepe, eternal,” a cyclist shouted out minutes later,
RSS