The first giant 'murder hornet' nest in the US has been found, and its contents successfully vacuumed out.
Asian giant hornets otherwise known as 'murder hornets' are an invasive species not native to the US. They are a predator to honey bees and other insects with the ability to kill an entire beehive within a few hours.
The hornets are native to Japan where their highly venomous stings are responsible for 50 deaths a year.
After several confirmed sightings, entomologists from the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) found the nest inside of a tree cavity on private property in the Washington town of Blaine.
The WSDA said in a statement they were able to track three hornets using radio trackers which led them to the discovery of the nest on Thursday (local time).
WSDA has been actively searching for Asian giant hornet nests since the beginning of the year so were excited to find "dozens of hornets entering and exiting the tree."
With permission from the property owner, the WSDA pest programme made plans to eradicate the nest on Saturday (local time) which turned out to be successful.
According to Associated Press, crews wearing thick protective suits vacuumed the contents of the nest out into two canisters.
The suits protecting workers from the hornets 6mm long stinger and the painful venom they are able to spit.
So far Washington and the Canadian province of British Columbia have been the only places outside of Asia where the hornets have been located.
