Murder Hornet Eradicated In U.S.

Murder Hornet. Credit USGS

After three years without confirmed detections, the Washington State Department of Agriculture and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) have declared the northern giant hornet (Vespa mandarinia), also referred to the murder hornet,  eradicated from Washington and the United States. 

“We are proud of this landmark victory in the fight against invasive species,” said Dr. Mark Davidson Deputy Administrator at USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. 

The eradication success was the result of a multiyear effort to find and eradicate the hornets, which began in 2019. 

Had the hornets become established in the country, they could have posed a significant threat to honey bees and other pollinators and native insects, scientists say. 

Northern giant hornets are able to kill an entire honey bee hive in as little as 90 minutes. They also pose a threat to human health as their sting is more dangerous than that of a honey bee.

The murder hornet was on a list of future invasive species that threatened Florida.