They used the flags as tracking targets for cameras, usually mounted to drones, and then followed the murder hornets back to their hives. EXAMPLE VIDEO
I don’t want to be the guy on the internet that says “they should have done x” as though the scientists aren’t experts in their field, but I do wonder why they didn’t use a bright orange flag or something. The white flag worked well enough, though.
Yeah, one team tied a phone tag on them with dental floss to track a little easier or over longer distance. Another group used a BlueTooth device. It took about a year for scientists in the USA to track down a single nest in 2020-2021 when it first started. A public awareness campaign was able to provide samples and the government agencies and labs with the FDA and local agriculture were able to develop new baits for them which unfortunately had local species casualties as well. I’m not sure if a pesticide was ever developed specifically for them.
Fun fact, multiple species of giant Asian hornets were discovered around the same time period in the Washington State region and Canada.
It was wild seeing researchers bait them with Meat and tie flags to them, but the fact that this strategy actually worked longterm is beyond wild.
Sorry what
They used the flags as tracking targets for cameras, usually mounted to drones, and then followed the murder hornets back to their hives. EXAMPLE VIDEO
This is great! I had no idea.
I don’t want to be the guy on the internet that says “they should have done x” as though the scientists aren’t experts in their field, but I do wonder why they didn’t use a bright orange flag or something. The white flag worked well enough, though.
That is WILD
Surly other methods too?
Yeah, one team tied a phone tag on them with dental floss to track a little easier or over longer distance. Another group used a BlueTooth device. It took about a year for scientists in the USA to track down a single nest in 2020-2021 when it first started. A public awareness campaign was able to provide samples and the government agencies and labs with the FDA and local agriculture were able to develop new baits for them which unfortunately had local species casualties as well. I’m not sure if a pesticide was ever developed specifically for them.
Fun fact, multiple species of giant Asian hornets were discovered around the same time period in the Washington State region and Canada.