By Moufida Holubeshen
In 2020, there were no confirmed sightings on Vancouver Island. Two more years of monitoring are needed to declare Vancouver Island free and clear of the Asian Giant Hornet (AGH). Half of the confirmed sighting in 2020 in Washington State were from private citizens rather than from traps, and all confirmed BC sightings were reported rather than found in traps.
For 2021, Nanaimo Beekeeping Club members are encouraged to keep an eye out for AGHs during the months of July to September and to report any sightings to The BC Invasive Species Council. Should confirmed sightings reports occur in the Central Island area, the Nanaimo Beekeeping Club will ramp up surveillance efforts and will work closely with the BC provincial apiarist to coordinate monitoring efforts and information sharing.
As of mid June 2021, only one confirmed AGH sighting was found in Snohomish County Washington State. This was an old AGH specimen with different coloration, and not related to previous AGHs located so far. There have been no 2021 confirmed AGH sighting on Vancouver Island that we know of.
Should you wish to validate a sighting report, Washington State Department of Agriculture has prepared a couple of guides to assist with this effort. These are: Identification Resources and Detecting and Responding to Falsified Submissions.
Should you wish to set up a trap, Washington State directions on traps can be found here.
Please note that BC sighting reports should be sent to the BC Invasive Species Council.
The March 2021 BC Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries Asian Giant Hornet news release.