Washington State after the first known nest was destroyed by state agricultural officials last year. The second known colony of the vicious insects was found near Blaine, Washington in a dead alder tree about two miles away from the nest destroyed last October. This latest colony to be eradicated on Wednesday was a quarter mile from the Canadian boarder. This invasive species is thought to arrive here via international commerce.Agricultural workers wore protective suits while vacuuming up the hornets which are about two inches long and carry a painful sting. Although a single sting is not fatal, repeated stings can kill. The hornets had excavated the interior of the stump to make room for a nine layer comb. About 1500 hornets in various stages of development lived in the nest. State officials said there are likely to be more nests not discovered yet and are relying on public reports to locate them. Some hornets have been tagged with miniature GPS devices to help in the fight to eradicate the pests before they spread. Capturing and eliminating queens seems to be the way forward.
In France, which has struggled with the murder hornet problem for longer than the US (2004), a clever beekeeper came up with a hornet trap to protect his honeybee colonies. In 2016 Brittany beekeeper Denis Jaffré came up with a device with a one-way mechanism like a lobster pot to catch the hornets, made from a wooden wine crate and metal mesh reports the UK's Guardian newspaper. The device has since been replicated using 3D printing in plastic. Jaffre received a French design award for his trap, and orders have been coming in faster than he can keep up. Jaffre is not the only beekeeper in Europe sick of seeing the murderers capture a bee and slice it up into edible pieces with their huge mandibles. He employs six staff and ships to several European countries.[photo credit: Guardian]