Several major national news outlets are reporting the Asian Giant Hornets aka “Murder Hornets” have made their way to the United States for the first time. In case you haven’t noticed, this news has made quite the stir on social media. According to National Geographic, and many other news outlets, the first reported Murder Hornet was found in Blaine, Washington at the end of 2019; and they are known for destroying honeybee populations.
County 10 connected with the University of Wyoming’s Assistant Extension Entomologist Scott Schell about the possibility of Wyomingites having to deal with this new, albeit terrifying looking, pest. The short answer, “odds are against it,” Scott said. With their native range being wet temperate areas, and into the tropics; Wyoming’s dry, arid climate would not be ideal for them to establish in. They will likely not move past the barrier of the western mountains, Scott explained.
Washington State Department of Agriculture has shared the following chart for reference: