Murder Hornet (Nashville, TN) Written By: Jordan Bailey
Vespa Mandarinia (or as the press is detailing as: Asian Murder Hornet) are the largest hornets in the world.
While they are being broadcast as arriving in the United States currently, there are reports of them in North America as early as May of 2019.
Attached below are two briefs and an article regarding their activity in the last year, prior to the current news cycle.
Washington State Department of Agriculture: https://wastatedeptag.blogspot.com/2019/12/pest-alert-asian-giant-hornet.html
British Columbia Ministry of Agriculture: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/farming-natural-resources-and-industry/agriculture-and-seafood/animal-and-crops/plant-health/pest_alert_asian_hornet.pdf
The Canadian Broadcasting Channel has reported Asian Giant Hornets in North America as early as a year ago (May 2019): https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/how-to-report-invasive-species-british-columbia-metro-vancouver-1.5124914
This species has made its way as far east as the UK, which is battling the increasing documentation of this species as well.
It is important during the current climate to understand the facts of the matter, and that the invasive species is most likely in the United States by way of British Columbia, and not their natural environment of Asia (China including). While Covid-19 is thought to have originated in China, these insects most likely migrated from the Great White North.
Keep up with the latest pest industry news at uspest.com and uspestnews.com and be sure to follow us for updates.
