Joint Effort Between USDA/WSDA Helped Locate Asian Giant Hornets

A collaborative effort between the USDA and the Washington state Department of Agriculture lead to the recent breakthrough regarding the threat of Asian Giant Hornets, also known as the Murder Hornets, in the northwest corner of the state. Anne LeBrun of USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, said they were more than happy to lend technical support to the WSDA.

"We provided radio transmitter technology that they use to track hornets back to the nest," she noted. "The Washington officials were able to find and eradicate that nest helping to protect the honeybee populations in the area."

In addition, those captured Asian Giant Hornets are providing avenues of molecular research for APHIS and partners like the Agricultural Research Service to develop lures for future traps.

"We're trying to determine if there was more than one introduction of this species in to North America, and where they may have come from with more research. It's critical because the more we know about where these hornets came from, the better our chances are of stopping future introductions."

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