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Talk about a buzzkill: For the second time this year, a ‘murder hornet’ has been seen in the U.S. — only this time, it was alive.
The first live Asian giant hornet (aka “murder hornet”) of 2021 was reported by a person from Washington state, the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) confirmed on Thursday. Earlier this summer, a dead hornet was found near Seattle.
See also: Dead murder hornet near Seattle is 1st found in U.S. in 2021
The giant hornets native to Asia, which can grow two inches long, got their fearsome “murder” nickname because they have been known to kill up to 50 people a year in Japan, and are able to wipe out entire colonies of honey bees.
In fact, the live murder hornet spotted in Washington was seen attacking a paper wasp nest, according to the WSDA report. “This hornet is exhibiting the same behavior we saw last year — attacking paper wasp nests,” said WSDA managing entomologist in the report. He warned local residents that, “If you have paper wasp nests on your property and live in the area, keep an eye on them and report any Asian giant hornets you see. Note the direction they fly off to as well.”
The Asian giant hornets were first spotted in the U.S. in 2019, but have since been appearing at random. The insects thrive where it’s mild and rainy — which makes parts of the Pacific Northwest top-tier territory for them. And they went viral in 2020 over one or two reported murder hornet-related deaths in other countries, as well as widely-shared video that showed a praying mantis eating one (which became a Twitter hero for a time.)
What’s more, a murder hornet nest was first discovered by entomologists with the WSDA in the cavity of a tree in Blaine, Washington near the end of 2020, which was later eradicated.
Read more: The first-ever ‘murder hornet’ nest in the U.S. found in Washington
