Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) has finally located its first Asian Giant hornet’s nest on the American soil.

This species of hornet takes an invasive form in America, killing the local honeybee hives creating an imbalance in the ecosystem, hence gaining the popularity as ‘murder hornet’. Typically, they are endemic to temperate and tropical environments.

According to the agency, after a week-long search operation they have finally discovered the location of Asian Giant Hornet’s nest in an empty tree truck in Blain, a town bordering Canada.

Entomologists have feared for such a possibility since the fall of 2019 when findings of their existence were first discovered. According to experts, their nest in a tree is very unlikely but not unheard of, as usually, they form their nests on the ground.

According to the WSDA’s news release:

“The successful detection of a nest comes after a WSDA trapper collected two live Asian giant hornets on Oct. 21, caught in a new type of trap the agency had placed in the area. Two more hornets, also living, were found in another trap the morning of Oct. 22 when WSDA staff arrived in the area to tag the previously trapped hornets with radio trackers and follow one back to its nest.”

Using these trackers, entomologists finally found the nest on Thursday and are planning to return on Saturday to eradicate the nest and the tree if required.

The Asian giant hornet’s sting is also poisonous and multiple stings can be fatal for humans. In one incident last year, they destroyed a farmer’s bee colony who described it as “thousands and thousands of bees with their heads torn from their bodies and no sign of a culprit.”