'Murder hornets' eradicated from United States

(NewsNation) — "Murder hornets," the largest wasps in the world, have been eradicated from the United States.

The U.S. and Washington Departments of Agriculture announced the news Dec. 18, almost five years since they were last sighted.

“I’ve gotta tell you, 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,” Sven Spichiger, pest program manager of the Washington State Department of Agriculture, said in a virtual news conference.

The hornets killed 42 people in China in 2013, injuring another 1,675 people.

Also known as Asian giant hornets, the murder hornets can be 2 inches long and are native to tropical parts of East Asia.

They feast upon medium-sized insects, including bees, beetles and other hornets.

There were signs of the hornet in Washington in 2019 and again in 2020. It is the only state in the United States to have confirmed sightings.