The Washington State Department of Agriculture shared news Friday that an Asian Giant Hornet, commonly referred to as a murder hornet, was successfully trapped for the first time in the evergreen state.
The hornet was caught in a bottle trap on July 14 and identified Wednesday by an entomology lab. The five previous confirmed sightings of an Asian Giant Hornet in the state were seen in the environment, according to WSDA officials.
“This is encouraging because it means we know that the traps work,” said managing entomologist for the department Sven Spichiger. “But it also means we have work to do.”