BLAINE, Wash. (AP) — There are three new confirmed sightings of Asian giant hornets in Whatcom County. That increases to 12 the number that have been reported in the area.
The total represents the first sightings of the hornets in Washington state and the U.S. since they were first spotted in 2019.
All three sightings were southeast of Blaine in late September, according to the Department of Agriculture. Two of the hornets were collected and the third was photographed attacking a wasp nest.
Traps are being set in the area with the goal of catching and tagging live hornets, and then tracking them back to their colony to destroy them so they don’t become established in Washington state.