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Eleven months aftermurder hornets were first discoveredin the United States , entomologists have tracked down and destroy the first nest of this invasive , venomous species .
The Asian colossus hornet ( Vespa mandarinia ) nest was set up on secret property in Blaine , Washington , on Friday ( Oct. 23 ) . On Saturday , state Agriculture Department crews donned protective suits and vacuumed the stinging insects out of the beehive , grant to the Associated Press . Next , the tree where the beehive was find will be cut down so that crowd can search for any babe hornets and determine if any queen may have departed to start new hives in the field .
Wearing protective suits, Washington State Department of Agriculture workers vacuum up a nest of Asian giant hornets on Oct. 24, 2020, in Blaine, Washington. Working in the pre-dawn darkness, the workers are illuminated by red lamps as they search, trap and use dental floss to tie tracking devices to the so-called murder hornets.
Asiatic giant hornet are nicknamed " slaying hornets " for their nasty sting , which has been described as feeling like a red-hot nail driven into flesh . The hornet can also spray venom from their stingers , which can stimulate serious middle injuries . But the real threat from the invasive species is to honeybees ; the giant hornets feed on honeybees , which are already declining in population .
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" Only a few Asiatic giant hornets can take out 30,000 healthy Apis mellifera in just a matter of a few hour , " state of matter Department of Agriculture bug-hunter Sven Spichiger told newsman in a news conference on Friday ( Oct. 23 ) . " And regrettably , the managed honeybees we use here have no rude defense force against them that ’s efficient at all . "
Between 100 and 200 murder hornet were find in the freshly discovered nest , which seat about 7 feet ( 2.1 meter ) up in the hollow portion of a tree diagram , harmonize to the Seattle Times . State entomologists have been on gamey alarm for the hornets since they were first report in Washington in belated 2019 . The hornet grow up to 1.75 inches ( 4.4 cm ) in distance and are aboriginal to South and East Asia . They have also been spotted in Canada in 2019 and 2020 .
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To come across the nest , entomologists trapped four alive hornets and attached radio tracker to the insects with dental dental floss . The hornets then go crew directly to the nest , which was the size of a basketball , officials say .
Crews wore thick protective suits and face buckler on Saturday as they fill the nest ’s exits with foam and then blow out the hornets inside with vacuum cleaner cannister . They then wrapped the tree in plastic wrap and filed it with carbon dioxide to kill any remaining insects . The entomologists state they will continue to explore for more hornet ' nest in the area .
Originally print on Live Science .
