Researchers Have Discovered The First 'Murder Hornets' Nest In The U.S.

As if we didn’t already have enough to worry about, the elusive murder hornets are becoming more and more real every day.

Source: Karen Ducey / Getty

According to reports from CNN, researchers from the Washington State Department of Agriculture recently located the first Asian giant hornet nest in the United States. The news was announced by entomologists on Friday, only one day after they discovered the nest on private property in Blaine.

The WSDA were able to detect the nest after collecting a total of four live Asian giant hornets from Oct.=ober 21-22. Then, researchers attached radio trackers to three of those insects, which is what ultimately led them to the nest at around 4 p.m. local time Thursday.

“The nest is inside the cavity of a tree located on private property near an area cleared for a residential home,” a WSDA press release stated. “While Asian giant hornets normally nest in the ground, they are occasionally found nesting in dead trees. Dozens of the hornets were seen entering and exiting the tree while the WSDA team was present.”

The WSDA said that its team plans to eradicate the nest and remove the tree, if necessary, on Saturday, which the owner of the property has reportedly given the agency permission to do.

Asian giant hornets were first spotted in the U.S. earlier this year and can reportedly grow more than 2 inches long with a wingspan of about 3 inches. They’ve reportedly killed dozens of people per year.