Scientists in the U.S. and Canada are opening new fronts in the war against so-called murder hornets as the giant insects begin establishing nests this spring.
The scientists said Wednesday that the battle to prevent the apex predators from establishing a foothold in North America is being fought mostly in Whatcom County, Washington, and the nearby Fraser Valley of British Columbia, where the hornets have been spotted in recent years.
Paul van Westendorp of the British Columbia Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries says the hornets pose threats to human life, to valuable bee populations needed to pollinate crops and to other insects.
He calls them intimidating insects.