QUICK FACTS
- There are many black and yellow wasps in Oregon. Proper identification is important before reporting. Here are some ID tips:
- This wasp is very LARGE! 1.5″ to 2″ long
- It has a striped abdomen, yellow head, and black eyes
- The thorax (where wings attach) is black
- Predator of many large-bodied insects (grasshoppers, beetles, etc.)
- Potential serious threat to honeybees
- Ground-nesting, active from May to August
- Detected in August 2019 British Columbia (eradicated); 0 confirmed sightings to date in Oregon. 4 confirmed sightings (dead) in Washington state + 1 active nest – read news articles from October 2020;
Photo credit: Chris Hedstrom, Oregon IPM Center
OTHER REGIONAL RESOURCES
There are a number of regional experts who can offer advice, answer questions, and field suspected reports of sightings. Please consult the OSU Extension publication for ID tips, answers to common questions, etc. Early detection is key to limit the effects of invasive species.
- Ask-an-Expert – Featured question from homeowner, answered by OSU faculty (AUG 2022)
- Read this Pest Alert – from the Oregon Invasive Species Council (APR 2020)
- Watch this webinar – by WSDA Entomologist Chris Looney in partnership with the Washington Invasive Species Council (FEB 2020).
- Report a sighting in Oregon
- Report a sighting in Washington
- View this factsheet from ODA’s Insect Pest Prevention and Management program (.pdf, updated MAY 2020)
- Read this opinion by a Distinguished CSU Professor about why ‘murder hornet’ is an unfair name for a generalist predator.
“It is certainly something to be … watchful for … [but]… I don’t think there’s a need for panic at all” ~ Eric Lee-Mader
Lee-Mader is a pollination conservation expert with the Xerces Society and has worked with AGH in Japan. Quotes extracted from his 4 MAY 2020 interview with KGW8 News, available here.
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