2020 Just Keeps Getting Scarier: First Ever Murder Hornet Nest Found in the US
As if 2020 hasn’t been scary enough, the first-ever Asian giant hornet nest in the United States was found by entomologists in Whatcom County on Friday.
The Asian giant hornet, which has been dubbed the murder hornet due to its ability to induce excruciating pain, can grow up to two inches long with a stinger of nearly one-quarter inch. The venom of these hornets also allegedly causes a sting so painful that it has been described as “having red-hot thumbtacks being driven into my flesh.”
The Asian giant hornets, which are the world’s largest hornet, were first spotted in Washington State last spring and are now making themselves right at home — beginning to build nests in the United States for the first time.
According to the Washington State Department of Agriculture, the agency is planning to eradicate the nest on Saturday, after plans to do so earlier were postponed due to the weather.
Dozens of the hornets were seen entering and exiting the nest, which is is inside a tree cavity located on private property near a residential home.
Washington State Department of Agriculture took to Twitter to share a glimpse of the hornet home:
The rumors are true – our entomologists located the first-ever #AsianGiantHornet nest in the U.S. late yesterday. Press conference at 2 p.m. pic.twitter.com/oXuE6urXff
— WA St Dept of Agr (@WSDAgov) October 23, 2020
