The primary purpose of this agreement is to support efforts to detect and, if found, eliminate yellow legged hornet from washington state through surveillance, tracking of captured specimens, and…

The Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service awarded the State of Washington Department of Agriculture a $125,179 Cooperative Agreement on July 1, 2026, to detect and eliminate Yellow Legged Hornet from Washington State through surveillance, specimen tracking, and nest destruction.

The recipient will delimit a 10 km area around confirmed or suspected detections of Yellow Legged Hornet in and surrounding Vancouver, Washington, and around any areas where the pest is detected elsewhere in Washington or in areas adjacent to detections in Oregon, using lethal hornet traps targeting queens through July 1st, 2026, then workers thereafter. The recipient will locate and eradicate any nests discovered through trapping results, beekeeper reports, or public reports using non-lethal trapping and tracking. Targeted recognition and reporting training will be provided to dockworkers at the Port of Vancouver, local beekeepers, and pest control operators. The program will solicit hornet reports from the general public in the Vancouver area through general hornet awareness and reporting outreach.

The expected outcomes are maintenance of Washington State's non-infested status through early detection and eradication, protection of the state's agricultural industry (particularly apiculture), pollinators, fruit, and public health, and trained stakeholders across beekeeping, port operations, pest control, and the general public capable of detecting, reporting, and mitigating Yellow Legged Hornet impacts.

Performance occurs in Washington. The period of performance runs from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027.

Activities

1. Delimit 10 KM area around confirmed or suspected detections of yellow legged hornet in and surrounding vancouver, WA and around any areas where yellow legged hornet is detected in WA, or areas of WA adjacent to any detections in oregon using lethal hornet traps. Delimitation will expand based on additional detections. Trapping will target queens through july 1ST, 2026, then workers starting july 1ST, 2026. 2. Locate and eradicate any yellow legged hornet nests discovered through trapping results, beekeeper reports, or public reports using non-lethal trapping and tracking. 3. Provide targeted recognition/reporting training to dockworkers at the port of vancouver, local beekeepers, and pest control operators. Dockworkers are likely to encounter specimens if a population is present. Georgia identified their infestation when beekeepers reported the hornets preying on hives, and pest control operators would likely be contacted for nest removals. 4. Supplement trapping by soliciting hornet reports from the general public in the vancouver area aided by general hornet awareness and reporting outreach. Deliverables and expected outcomes: the cooperator seeks to conduct a program which is expected to result in: 1. The non-infested status of washington state will be maintained by early detection and eradication. 2. Washington state's agricultural industry (particularly apiculture), pollinators, fruit, and public health will be protected from an important and dangerous insect pest. 3. Washington state beekeepers, port workers, pest control operators and the general public will be trained to detect, report, and in some cases, mitigate the impacts of yellow legged hornet. Intended beneficiary(IES): farmers, shippers, orchardists, beekeepers subrecipient activities, if known or specified at the time of award: N/a. Financials: personnel = $21,949; fringe = $8,468; travel = $14 ,388; supplies = $3,695; indirect = $6,318