Officials Say We've Won the War on Murder Hornets

Americans can take murder hornets off the list of things to worry about in 2025, federal authorities say. Officials say the invasive species has been eradicated from the US, five years after the first specimens were found in Washington state, ABC News reports. Dr. Mark Davidson, the deputy administrator at USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, called it a "landmark victory" achieved by state and federal agencies. "The success of this effort demonstrates what's possible when agencies and communities unite toward a common goal," Davidson said. The USDA and the Washington Department of Agriculture said there had been no confirmed detections of the hornet in three years.

The species, native to northern Asia, is known for destroying entire beehives within hours to feed their young, decapitating all the bees in the process. In Japan, they kill around 50 people a year. The New York Times likens the eradication effort to a "criminal investigation," with bee corpses at "crime scenes" and calls for the public to send in tips. State entomologists attached tracking devices to the hornets as part of an effort to find and eradicate nests. One destroyed nest held 500 of the hornets, including 200 queens.

"As an entomologist, I've been doing this for over 25 years now, and it is a rare day when the humans actually get to win one against the insects," said Sven Spichiger, pest program manager at the Washington State Department of Agriculture, per the Times. The insect's official name is the northern giant hornet. (More murder hornets stories.)