Experts still do not know how the giant Asian hornet came to America.

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Ted S. Warren / AP / SIPA

After a hunt that had lasted for weeks, a nest of giant Asian hornets, the first spotted in the United States, was exterminated on Saturday.

Nestled in the cavity of a tree, it has been "sucked" by specialists from the Department of Agriculture.

The nest had been discovered two days earlier on private property in Blaine, Washington, near the border with Canada.

Quite a morning shooting Asian giant hornets and our WA Ag workers taking them out in Blaine.

Love those sting-resistant suits they wear!

#MurderHornets pic.twitter.com/K2ZmASinUs

- Elaine Thompson /// journalism matters (@ElaineMThompson) October 24, 2020

An unexplained presence

The hunt for the giant hornet had been open since two specimens were spotted in December 2019 in this region.

The nest in question had been located following the capture of two live specimens of giant Asian hornets on October 21, using a new type of trap.

Experts in the department had even used dental floss to attach tiny radio transmitters to the insects in order to capture them.

It is not yet clear how this giant hornet (Vespa mandarinia) got to the United States.

Entomologists fear that if it is not eliminated within about two years, the "deadly hornet" could spread to North America and establish itself there permanently.

30 to 50 deaths in Japan

Particularly dangerous, giant Asian hornets can grow up to two inches in length.

While they often attack swarms of bees, they sometimes attack humans as well.

In Japan, where insects are regularly hunted for food, around 30 to 50 people die each year after being bitten.

Distinct from the giant hornet, the “yellow-legged” Asian hornet (Vespa velutina nigrithorax), has begun to colonize part of western Europe.

It probably arrived there in 2004 in a shipment of pottery from China, delivered to southwestern France, from where it swarmed.

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