Not long ago, the arrival of so-called murder hornets in B.C. and Washington state was front page news thanks to the destructive potential of the menacing invaders and the trail of headless bee bodies left in their wake.

But five years after northern giant hornets started showing up in places like Nanaimo on Vancouver Island and border towns like Blaine and Abbotsford, American officials have declared the invasive species eradicated in the United States.

In B.C., officials are less emphatic, although they do say the province is now considered "northern giant hornet-free."

"A hornet was last found in B.C. in the Fraser Valley in 2021 [and] it was the only hornet found that year," said a statement from the Ministry of Agriculture and Food.

"The Ministry's annual surveillance and monitoring in the Fraser Valley concluded in 2024 and will resume if new findings are confirmed in the future."

In 2020 and 2021, four invasive northern giant hornet nests were discovered in Alder tree cavities in Washington state. (Karla Salp/Washington State Dept. of Agriculture)

Northern giant hornets -- Vespa mandarinia -- also called Asian giant hornets, are voracious in appetite, predating on honey bees by eating their heads and stripping off their wings and legs.

A small number of hornets can kill an entire honey bee hive in as little as 90 minutes, according to the Washington State Department of Agriculture, posing a major threat to honey producers and, by extension, the fruit and berry crops honey bees pollinate.

Native to China, Japan, and Thailand, the hornets are the largest in the world, with queens growing up to five centimetres in length with a four to seven-centimetre wingspan.

Thanks to the help of observant citizens, the WSDA destroyed four hornet nests found inside alder tree cavities in 2020 and 2021.

Washington state entomologist tags a northern giant hornet with a tiny radio tracker. (Washington State Department of Agriculture WSDA)

One of those was discovered after a trapped hornet tagged with a tiny tracking device led state entomologists to a nest close to the Canada-U.S. border.

"We are proud of this landmark victory in the fight against invasive species," said Dr. Mark Davidson, deputy administrator, U.S. Department of Agriculture. "By tackling this threat head-on, we protected not only pollinators and crops but also the industries, communities, and ecosystems that depend on them."

"Without the public's support for this effort, it is unlikely we would be announcing the eradication of the northern giant hornet," said Sven Spichiger, WSDA pest program manager.

"Although they are now eradicated from the state, we'll always be keeping an eye out for them and encourage community members to do the same. They got here once, and they could do it again."

Northern giant hornets are a threat to honey bees and, by extension, agricultural fruit and berry crops. (Washington State Department of Agriculture)