Paul Grey introduced Cassie Cichorz of the Washington State Department of Agriculture. Cassie gave a presentation on the Asian Giant Hornet.
Cassie said the hornets are 1.5 to 2 inches in length, have a huge orange head and orange and yellow bands on their abdomen. They nest in the ground, particularly in the base of old pine trees or in old rodent burrows. They rarely nest above ground. They are typically non-aggressive. If you get a sting, apply ice and take aspirin. If you have an anaphylactic reaction, call 9-1-1.
Cassie described the life cycle of the Asian Giant Hornet. In winter, only queens are alive. In the spring they build their nest and start colonies if they are mated. In summer, the worker hornets hunt insects and other animals for food sources. In late summer, they prey on honeybee colonies, taking larvae from the hives which provide protein for the hornets. In the late fall, the workers and males die. One nest can produce up to 300 queens, but only about 10% survive. The impacts to the honeybees can pose a threat to the ecosystem.
Cassie said the Asian Giant Hornets have been found exclusively in Whatcom County, in Blaine, Birch Bay, Custer and one sighting in Bellingham. She said after locating one the WSDA has put in a grid, 8 km in circumference, around the site, and they put traps in that area. She said not just the WSDA folks are working to trap the hornets, but “citizen scientists” are also working to find them and trap them. When one is found, the goal is to attach a radio transmitter to track it back to its nest so they can trap others. WSDA workers wear safety suits providing protection.
Cassie showed a number of slides of “imposters,” showing how different the Asian Giant Hornet is from other bees, hornets, wasps, yellow jackets, etc. The distinctive features of the Asian Giant Hornet are the giant head and the distinctive abdominal markings described above. She said they likely came from Korea or Japan, probably in some freight or other shipment. They haven’t found a nest in Whatcom County yet, but there was one in British Columbia.
Cassie can be contacted at ccichorz@agr.wa.gov. If anyone sees an Asian Giant Hornet, they can report it at hornets@agr.wa.gov. She said to send photos and describe exactly where the siting took place. The hotline number is 1-800-443-6684.
