Stopping the Hornet Invasion

One morning in early December 2019, Jeff Kornelis of Blaine, Washington, stepped outside to walk his dog. He noticed a wasp nearly the length of his pinky finger lying dead on his front porch. The wasp had an orange head, gigantic wings, and a tiger-striped abdomen. He’d never seen an insect like it.

Kornelis contacted state officials about the strange sighting. Scientists from the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) drove three hours from their office in Olympia to examine the huge bug. What they saw confirmed their worst suspicions: It was an Asian giant hornet, the largest type of wasp in the world.

Asian giant hornets aren’t supposed to be in northern Washington. They’re native to Japan and other parts of eastern Asia. They’d never been found in the U.S. before. The wasps, which prey on bees, could wreak havoc on local hives. The scientists quickly hatched a plan to hunt down where the hornets were nesting—and hopefully eradicate them before they could spread.

Jeff Kornelis lives in Blaine, Washington. One morning in early December 2019, he stepped outside to walk his dog. He noticed a wasp lying dead on his front porch. It was nearly the length of his pinky finger! It had an orange head, gigantic wings, and a striped body. He’d never seen an insect like it.

Kornelis contacted officials about the wasp. The report quickly reached scientists from the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA). They drove three hours from their office in Olympia to inspect the huge bug. Their conclusion wasn’t good: It was an Asian giant hornet. They’re the largest type of wasp in the world.

Asian giant hornets aren’t supposed to be in northern Washington. They’re native to eastern Asia. They had never been found in the U.S. before. The wasps prey on bees, so they could attack local beehives. The scientists quickly planned to hunt down where the hornets were nesting. They wanted to eliminate the wasps before they could spread.

The WSDA scientists asked people to report giant hornet sightings. They plotted the sightings on a map, then drew circles around them based on how far the insects usually fly. That told them where to place traps to try to catch more hornets. Local beekeepers helped them set more than 2,500 traps that attract and kill the wasps.

Last September, WSDA scientist Chris Looney captured the first live hornet in a net. If his team could follow it, it would lead them right to its nest. The scientists tried gluing a tracking tag to the hornet, but that prevented it from flying. The next week, they used dental floss to tie a tag on another hornet, but it flew away so fast that they lost the signal from the tag.

In October, the team tried longer-range tracking tags. One hornet they tagged nearly got away. But then the scientists picked up a faint signal that led them to a large tree. They saw a hornet fly into a crevice in the trunk. They’d found the nest! “We were pumped,” says Looney.

The WSDA scientists asked people to report giant hornet sightings. They marked the sightings on a map. Then they drew circles around those points based on how far the insects usually fly. That told them where to place traps to try to catch more hornets. Local beekeepers helped them set traps that attract and kill the wasps. They placed more than 2,500 traps in all.

Chris Looney is a WSDA scientist. Last September, he caught the first live hornet in a net. If his team could follow it, it would lead them right to its nest. The scientists first tried gluing a tracking tag to the hornet. But that kept the insect from flying. The next week, they used dental floss to tie a tag on another hornet. But that one flew away so fast that they lost the signal from the tag.

In October, the team tried tracking tags with a longer range. One hornet they tagged nearly got away. But then the scientists picked up a faint signal. It led them to a large tree. They saw a hornet fly into a crevice in the trunk. They’d found the nest! “We were pumped,” says Looney.

Two days later, the team returned before dawn. They zipped themselves into thick suits to protect against stings. They sealed the crevice around the nest with foam and plastic to keep hornets from escaping. Then they cut a hole wide enough to fit a vacuum hose and banged on the tree to rile up the insects. “As the wasps would come out, I would vacuum them,” says Looney.

It took about 45 minutes to remove most of the hornets. Afterward, the team determined that more than 500 hornets were inside, including 184 potential queens. Some of those queens could have started new colonies. “We caught it right in the nick of time,” says Looney.

Despite successfully eradicating this nest, the WSDA suspects there may be more out there. Looney and his team are staying vigilant just in case. Luckily, no Asian giant hornets have been spotted outside of northern Washington so far. That means there’s still a chance to stop them—before they spread through the U.S.

The team returned before dawn two days later. They wore thick suits to protect against stings. They sealed the crevice around the nest with foam and plastic to keep hornets from escaping. Then they cut a hole wide enough to fit a vacuum hose. They banged on the tree to wake up the insects. “As the wasps would come out, I would vacuum them,” says Looney.

It took about 45 minutes to remove most of the hornets. Afterward, the team determined that more than 500 hornets had been inside. That included 184 potential queen hornets. Some of them could have started new colonies. “We caught it right in the nick of time,” says Looney.

The scientists successfully eliminated this nest. But they suspect that more nests may be out there. Looney and his team are staying alert just in case. Luckily, no Asian giant hornets have been spotted outside of northern Washington so far. That means there’s still a chance to stop them—before they spread through the U.S.