米で発見の「殺人バチ」の巣、無事駆除

【ロサンゼルスＡＦＰ＝時事】米西部ワシントン州で発見された巨大なオオスズメバチの巣が24日、当局職員らによって無事駆除された。オオスズメバチは別名「殺人バチ」とも呼ばれ、米国で巣が発見されたのは初とみられている。（写真は米ワシントン州ブレインで駆除されたオオスズメバチ）
　ワシントン州農務局（ＷＳＤＡ）によると、巣は２２日に対カナダ国境に近いブレインの私有地で見つかった。
　同局は、捕まえた体長５センチほどのオオスズメバチにデンタルフロスを使って小型無線機を取り付け、数週間かけて巣を探していた。
　職員らは２４日の夜明け前、頭からつま先までを覆う防護服を身に着け、枯れ木の中に作られた巣からハチを吸引し、駆除した。
　オオスズメバチは２０１９年１２月に米国内で初めて見つかり、今年７月にはブレインがあるワットコム郡でも１匹が捕獲され、当局が巣の発見に全力を挙げていた。また、国境を挟んだカナダのブリティッシュコロンビア州の２か所でも発見され、その後も同地域内で多くの個体が捕獲された。
　オオスズメバチは在来種ではなく、米国内に入った経緯は明らかになっていない。専門家らは、今後数年以内に駆除しない限り北米中に生息範囲を広げ、永久にとどまることになると指摘している。
　オオスズメバチは東アジアや日本に生息し、通常は人を襲わないが、ミツバチのコロニーを滅ぼすことで知られる。ミツバチの頭を食いちぎって殺すほか、何日間かにわたって巣を乗っ取り、さなぎや幼虫を餌として食べる。
　日本ではオオスズメバチを捕獲し食用にすることもあるが、毎年３０～５０人が刺されて死亡している。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2020/10/26-12:22）

Agricultural department workers wearing protective suits have eradicated the first nest of giant murder hornets discovered in the United States, vacuuming them out of a tree in Washington state.
The nest of Asian giant hornets was found on Thursday by Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) entomologists on a property in Blaine, near the border with Canada, the agency said.
They spent weeks searching for the nest, trapping hornets and tracking them, using dental floss to tie tiny radio trackers on the insects, which are nearly two inches (five centimeters) in length and have a painful sting.
Before dawn on Saturday, a team of workers dressed from head to toe in protective suits vacuumed the insects out of their nest in the cavity of a dead tree.
Got 'em. Vacuumed out several #AsianGiantHornets from a tree cavity near Blaine this morning, the state agriculture department said on Twitter later Saturday, along with a video showing a mass of hornets in a transparent container.
It said removal of the nest appeared to have been successful and more details would be provided at a press conference on Monday.
Scientists in Washington state have been actively searching for the Asian giant hornet since the first such insect was detected in December 2019 and after one of the wasps was trapped in July in Whatcom County, where Blaine is located. Canada also found Asian giant hornets in two locations in neighboring British Colombia.
Several more of the invasive pest not native to the US were subsequently caught, all in the same region.
The WSDA believes there was a good chance that there are more nests and stopping this cold is very crucial, said Sven Spichiger, an entomologist with WSDA, during a press conference on Friday.
If it becomes established, this hornet will have negative impacts on the environment, economy, and public health of Washington State, the WSDA said.
It is unclear how the hornets arrived in the US.
Scientists warn that unless the insect is eliminated in the next couple years, it could spread in North America and become permanently established.
The hornets, which are native to East Asia and Japan, usually don't attack people but they are known for decimating honeybee colonies.
The hornets slaughter honeybees by biting their heads off and then occupy the bee nests for up to a week or more, feeding on the pupae and larvae.
In Japan, where the insects are hunted and eaten, some 30 to 50 people die each year from their venomous and excruciating sting.