A "murder hornet" was discovered in Langley this week

May 28 2020, 7:07 pm

So-called murder hornets have captured many people’s attention after the New York Times reported earlier this month that they’d made their way to North America.

However, according to BC’s Ministry of Agriculture, the giant hornets have been a problem for months now.

The hornets, whose real name is the Asian giant hornet, were spotted on Vancouver Island back in August of 2019, according to a report published by BC’s Ministry of Agriculture.

“Three large insects found in the Nanaimo area were confirmed by Canadian and international experts as Asian giant hornets,” the report explains, marking the first time they have been discovered on Vancouver Island and in British Columbia.

And this week, one of the specimens was found and collected just south of Langley.

Until now, the only confirmed cases on the mainland included a single specimen in White Rock and two specimens near Blaine WA, according to Provincial Apiculturist Paul van Westendorp.

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This Langley find “indicates that AGH may have established nests farther into the Fraser Valley than had been anticipated,” said van Westendorp.

It is expected, he added, “that more sightings will be reported in the coming months.”

And as nests increase in size, the hornets are expected “to increase its predation on honeybees.”

As such, beekeepers, along with the general public, are being urged to report any and all encounters they have with Asian Giant Hornets online. More information on these, and other invasive species, can be found online.

DH Vancouver StaffDH Vancouver Staff

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