Two-inch long ‘murder hornets’ eradicated from US, agriculture department says

World's largest hornet, which killed 42 people in China in 2013, has been wiped out in US five years after first being spotted

The world's largest hornet, an invasive breed nicknamed the murder hornet" for its dangerous sting and ability to slaughter a hive of honeybees in as little as 90 minutes, has been declared eradicated in the US, five years after being spotted for the first time in Washington state near the Canadian border.

The Washington and US Departments of Agriculture announced the eradication on Wednesday, saying there had been no detections of the northern giant hornet in Washington since 2021.