#First male murder hornet trapped in Washington state

Washington state has trapped a live male murder hornet — the first ever detected in the nation, officials said.

The invasive insect was captured in a bottle trap near Custer, then identified last week as an Asian giant hornet, the Washington State Department of Agriculture said in a statement.

Though the agency has captured a queen this summer, the discovery of the male came weeks earlier than anticipated for the season.

“Trapping a male Asian giant hornet in July initially came as a surprise,” said Sven Spichiger, managing entomologist for the department.

“But further examination of the research and consultation with international experts confirmed that a few males can indeed emerge early in the season.”

Washington State Department of Agriculture

Washington State Department of Agriculture

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The agency previously caught the female murder hornet, which was identified as an unmated queen, in one of its bottle traps back on July 14.

There have been at least five other sightings since the invasive species was detected in Washington state for the first time late last year.