LOUISIANA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE: What we know about the Asian giant hornet

Louisiana Department of Agriculture issued the following announcement on May 8.

-In December 2019, USDA confirmed the detection of a single Asian giant hornet (AGH) in Blaine, Washington, and Washington State University identified a second AGH later that same month.

-Washington Department of Agriculture (WSDA) is currently surveying the state for the giant hornet. 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.

-As for Louisiana, the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry is monitoring the situation closely. At this time, we do not believe the Asian giant hornet is present in Louisiana.

Original source can be found here.

Source: Louisiana Department of Agriculture