'Murder Hornets' Are Still Here But The US & Canada Are Joining Forces To Eradicate Them

Asian giant hornets, aka "Murder Hornets," added to the craziness of 2020 as they made their way to the Pacific Northwest, and the hunt to eradicate them continues this spring.

The flying bug is an invasive species in the United States and Canada, as they are primarily hunters of honey bees but aren't known to be aggressive towards humans unless they are provoked, in which case their powerful sting can result in severe injury or even death.

Editor's Choice: "Murder Hornets" Are A Thing In North America

Washington state, British Columbia, and U.S. federal agencies are teaming up in the coming months to track, contain, and eradicate the species from the region by using special traps made from orange juice and rice cooking wine.

Washington is also encouraging "citizen scientists" in regions where the hornets have been spotted to create traps using either orange juice or brown sugar and contact officials if one or multiple hornets are spotted and/or killed.

The Washington State Department of Agriculture is primarily focusing on areas surrounding Whatcom County, where the insect was spotted in 2019 and 2020, while the British Columbia Ministry of Agriculture is keeping an eye on Vancouver Island and the Fraser Valley.