WHATCOM COUNTY, Wash. – Whatcom County remains ground zero in the hunt for Asian giant hornets this year.
“We will be continuing our trapping in northern Whatcom County and also in the Bellingham area in southern Whatcom County,” said State Department of Agriculture entomologist Sven Spichiger. “Some of you may be aware that a single specimen was killed on a porch in Bellingham in 2020.”
Spichiger said at a news conference on Tuesday, May 24th, that they’ll set about 1,000 traps.
He says they’re quite sure that the invasive hornets haven’t migrated beyond Whatcom County.
The department is asking citizen-scientists to help spot the hornets again this year, either by trapping or by adopting a paper wasp nest.
“Just about anybody who has a paper wasp nest on their property can actually help the cause by simply snapping a photo and just checking in on the internet once a week or so and saying ‘Hey, I’ve seen hornets or I have not,'” said Spichiger.
Find information about how to set a trap or Adopt-A-Wasp the WSDA website.
