'Murder Hornet' Spotted Near US-Canada Border

Another Asian giant hornet, also known as a "murder hornet," has been spotted this year. The specimen was discovered near the U.S.-Canada border.

British Columbia (B.C.) authorities discovered the dead Asian giant hornet specimen in a Japanese beetle trap, the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) noted in a tweet. The trap was about 200 meters away from the U.S.-Canada border, CBC reported, noting that it was not far from where U.S. officials discovered and destroyed several nests earlier this year.

"The location was well within the flight distance from the US nests," the WSDA said in a tweet.

In a follow-up tweet, the agency noted that it will be working with U.S. federal authorities as well as B.C. authorities to determine via the specimen's DNA if it is from one of the U.S. nests.

Based on the size and poor condition of the specimen, it is believed that the hornet was caught in the trap in late September and was in it for weeks until it was discovered dead in the trap in October, apiculturist Paul van Westendorp said as per CBC. Such a case would coincide with the time when the nests in the U.S. were eradicated.

According to van Westendorp, the problem would be if the analysis revealed it not to be from one of the U.S. nests.

"Then we would have a much more interesting situation on our hands," CBC quoted him as saying.

So far, however, there appears to be no cause of concern as it is quite "likely" that the specimen was from one of the eradicated nests.

Authorities have been monitoring possible Asian giant hornet sightings. It is an invasive species that poses a particular threat to honey bees because in their so-called "slaughter phase," they are capable of eradicating an entire hive and taking it as their own in a matter of hours.

The public's help is crucial in the search for Asian giant hornets and possible nests. The WSDA has even launched a #ThatIsNotAnAsianGiantHornet educational campaign, which seeks to educate people about what the creatures look like and how to distinguish them from their lookalikes.

Those who believe they've spotted an Asian giant hornet may report the sighting to the WSDA here and to the Invasive Species Council of B.C. here.