Washington tracks down another murder hornet nest

This is the third nest found in the US

Agriculture authorities in Washington have located another "murder hornet" nest near Blaine and plan on removing it, according tor reports.

The Washington State Department of Agriculture said on Friday that it had located another Asian giant hornet nest - colloquially called "murder hornets" - in a tree near the city of Blaine, which sits on the state's border with Canada.

The WDSA tweeted out a photo of one of the hornets with a radio tracker affixed to its back. The tracker has been instrumental for the agency's efforts to locate and root out the hornets' nests to prevent them from spreading throughout the state.

Sven-Erik Spichiger, the WSDA's managing entomologist, held a news conference on 27 August discussing the insects and the agency's tracking methods. He said the trackers are attached to the hornets using a Kevlar thread. The hornets then are released, allowing agency workers to track them to their nests.

“The tracking event was as difficult as one might think when you’re trying to follow something that flies very quickly through Himalayan blackberry,” Mr Spichiger said.

The agency has already located two nests, one in October of last year and another at the end of August.

The agency said that "eradication plans are underway" and should commence sometime in the next few days.

All of the nests have been found within a few miles of each other in North Whatcom County.

The agency said that citizen spotters have assisted in their mission to find and root out the insects. Residents near one of the previous nests sent the agency photos of one of the hornets trying to enter and attack a paper wasp nest.

"Your reports DO make a difference," the agency tweeted alongside the photos.

The nest that workers found and eradicated in August was much larger than the one found last October, which was also the first nest to be discovered in the US.

Asian giant hornets -the world's largest hornets - are not native to the US, and are often called "murder hornets" because they attack honeybee hives during what are called "slaughter phases." During their attacks they decapitate the bees they encounter.

According to the WSDA, the nest found in August had nine combs and one queen. Nearly 200 worker hornets were captured during the eradication. Workers must wear suits made from thick foam while trying to capture and eradicate the nests to avoid injury.