Asian Giant Hornet (Vespa Mandarinia)
Please see below for more information regarding the invasive Asian Giant Hornet.
- In December 2019, USDA confirmed the detection of a single Asian giant hornet (AGH) in Blaine, WA.
- Washington Department of Agriculture (WSDA) is currently surveying the State for the pest. Should WSDA locate any AGH nests, they will respond quickly to eradicate them.
- Although there are a number of unconfirmed AGH sightings from the public, neither USDA nor WSDA has any evidence that AGH populations are established in Washington or anywhere else in the United States. These unconfirmed sightings may be look-alike hornet species that are known to occur in the United States.
- AGH does not attack people unless it feels threatened. They are known to attack and kill other bees in the late summer when developing males and future queens need extra protein to complete their life cycle. They do not attack and kill bees at other times.
- Please see our AGH Fact Sheet for more information on identifying this potential pest
- MSU team publishes research on Asian Giant Hornets
- Click here to view the full paper in the Journal of Inset Science.
If you believe you have encountered an Asian Giant Hornet, please carefully try to capture an image of the hornet and send it to the Montana Department of Agriculture.
