'Murder hornet' eradicated from the U.S., officials announce

So-called murder hornets have been eradicated from the United States, officials announced Wednesday, five years after the invasive species was first identified in Washington state.

So-called murder hornets have been eradicated from the United States, officials announced Wednesday, five years after the invasive species was first identified in Washington state.

The northern giant hornet has not been detected in three years, prompting officials to announce its eradication from the United States, the Washington and U.S. Agriculture departments said in a joint statement Wednesday.

Officials said the multiyear effort to eradicate the species, which began in 2019, involved "extensive collaboration between state, federal, and international government agencies as well as significant support from community members and groups."

"I'm incredibly proud of our team, which has dedicated years of hard work to safeguarding our state and the nation from this invasive threat to our native pollinators and agriculture," Washington Agriculture Director Derek Sandison said in the statement.

Sven Spichiger, the department’s pest program manager, pointed to the public's help, noting that "all of our nest detections resulted directly or indirectly from public reports." He added that half of all confirmed hornet detections also came from the public.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/animal-news/murder-hornet-eradicated-us-officials-announce-rcna184767

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