Many Washingtonians have helped in trapping one of the state’s most feared invasive species. Friday marks the start of the Asian giant hornet trapping season.
According to the Washington State Department of Agriculture, citizen scientists have set hundreds of traps to aid in finding hornets across the state.
While traps have been set, very few hornets have been caught. WSDA scientists said that’s good and provides useful information.
Two WSDA entomologists who recently went to South Korea to engage in research where the species is well established, collaborated with scientists there and discovered something interesting after conducting various experiments.
“When you run a trap and catch nothing, that is a great result!” one of them said. The entomologist said it suggests that there are no hornets in your area.
The entomologists used traps baited with brown sugar to catch hornets during their experiments.
For those who have set traps in the past and did not catch a hornet, WSDA is asking that you consider being a citizen scientist, as it helps them monitor the hornet populations in the state and provides the data needed to help wipe out the invasive species.
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