Murder hornets lurking on Washington trails? State officials set the record straight

Are there murder hornets nesting along Washington trails? The Washington State Department of Agriculture is clearing things up.

Trail goers in the state found signs that claimed Asian giant hornets were nesting in areas along trails, the department said. Those signs were fake and misinformed.

“These signs — as most of the reports suspected — are FAKE,” officials said. “They were not created by DNR, WSDA, or any state agency.”

The Department of Agriculture said almost all the information on the signs was incorrect as well.

“Well done to all of you alert trail-goers and thank you for helping prevent the spread of misinformation,” officials said. “Unfortunately, not only was this sign fake, but almost all the information on it was incorrect.”

Asian giant hornets are the world’s largest species of hornet, the department of agriculture said. They were first reported in Washington in December near Blaine, about 20 miles north of Bellingham.

“The hornets enter a ‘slaughter phase’ where they kill bees by decapitating them,” Washington State Department of Agriculture said. “They then defend the hive as their own, taking the brood to feed their own young. They also attack other insects but are not known to destroy entire populations of those insects.”

Generally the hornets don’t attack people or pets, but they can sting multiple times, according to the department.

“Use extreme caution near Asian giant hornets,” Washington State Department of Agriculture said. “The stinger of the Asian giant hornet is longer than that of a honeybee and the venom is more toxic than any local bee or wasp. Typical beekeeping protective clothing is not sufficient to protect you from stings.”

This story was originally published May 27, 2020 at 12:25 PM with the headline "Murder hornets lurking on Washington trails? State officials set the record straight."