No Northern Giant Hornets Found In 2022 In Washington State

BELLINGHAM, Wash. (AP) – Washington state officials say citizen trapping of northern giant hornets in northwest Washington ended Nov. 30 without any confirmed sightings of the hornets this year.

The Washington State Department of Agriculture also said Tuesday that no confirmed sightings of the hornets were reported nearby in British Columbia, Canada.

More than 1,000 northern giant hornet traps were set over the summer by Washington state residents and entomologists.

The northern giant hornet has been the target of eradication efforts after hornets were discovered in those locations in 2019.

Confirmed sightings of the pest were last recorded in 2021.

The hornets will not be considered eradicated until Washington has gone three years with no detections.