Spoke ANN, Wash Wash. WASHINGTON (AP) – Scientists in Washington state have discovered the first structure of so-called killing hornets in the United States and plan to destroy them by Saturday to protect the local bee, officials said.
Workers working with the state’s Department of Agriculture spent weeks searching for dental floss, traps, and building giant hornets tracking devices for the Asian giant Hornet, which can cause people painful bites and poisoning, but the biggest threat to bees is that farmers The crop is dependent on pollination.
Agency spokeswoman Carla Salpe said in a virtual briefing, “Ladies and gentlemen, we have done that. ‘Bad weather has delayed the demolition of a structure found in Blaine, a city north of Seattle, on Friday.
The nest is about the size of a basketbell and contains approximately 100 to 200 hornets, according to scientists. Officials said he did not know how they got to North America.
Despite his nickname and hype Already in a fuzzy year, fears have been dispelled, with the world’s largest hurricanes killing several dozen people a year in Asian countries, and experts say it’s probably too few. Meanwhile, hornets, wasps and bees, especially in the United States, kill an average of 62 people a year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The real threat from Asian giant hornets – which are 2 inches (5 centimeters) long – is their devastating attack on bees, which are already beset by problems such as pests, diseases, pesticides and food shortages. Officials said a small group of Hornets could kill a full hive of hives in hours, and they could already destroy six or seven hives in Washington state, officials said.
The nest was found after two Hornets were trapped by an Agriculture Department worker on Wednesday. Two more were arrested Thursday, the agency said.
Using dental floss, “entomologists were able to attach radio trackers to three hornets, the second of which led them in search of the structure,” agriculture officials said.
Officials said it was about 300 yards (274 meters) away from traps in tree hollows on private property. Dozens were found muddying under trees and around the ground 7 or 8 feet (2 m). The owner allows the state to eradicate the nest and remove the tree.
Saturday’s plan is to fill the cavity with foam and cover it with a plastic wrap to prevent the hornets from escaping, said Sven-Eric Spichiger, an entomologist at the Department of Agriculture. A hose will then be inserted to vacuum the hornets trapped inside and it will be deposited in the storage chamber, he said.
Workers wear thick protective suits that can prevent Hornets’ 6-millimeter-long stingers from harming workers, the speaker said. They will also wear facial shawls as trapped hornets can throw painful poisonous poison into their eyes.
“We keep them alive,” he said. “We’ll kill them.”
The tree will then be cut down for newborn Hornets ka ract va and no queen will learn whether the hive has already left. Officials suspect there may be more structures in the area and will continue the search.
“It’s still a very small population, and we’re actively hunting them down,” Spichiger said.
Scientists for the department have been searching for structures since the first Asian giant hornets were caught earlier this year. U.S. The first confirmation of the Hornet was with Blaine in December 2019 and the first live Hornet was trapped this July. In Whatcom County, just over 20 have been arrested.
Invading insects are commonly found in China, Japan, Thailand, South Korea, Vietnam and other Asian countries. Washington The only hornets have been found on the continent in the state of Washington and the Canadian province of British Columbia.
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