This past week, scientists in Washington eradicated the first-ever found giant "murder hornet" nest in the U.S. Now, officials have gone back to capture two queens who avoided their initial fate.
On Wednesday, the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) cut down and removed the entire tree that housed the giant hornets. That's when they discovered the two queens, CBS News reports.
WSDA has said that it's unclear if the two are virgin queens, or if one started the nest.
During the initial capture, workers used a vacuum on October 24 to kill 85 of the giant hornets found in the nest. They kept 13 alive for observation and research.
Scientists worked to gather all of the specimens found in the nest, of which there were new queens and worker hornets. Adult specimens were taken in for research.
"At least between the time we conducted the eradication last Saturday and now, there were new queens emerging within the nest," said spokesperson Karla Salp said. "There may have also been queens that emerged before we got there. We just don't know at this point."
In examining the nest, scientists found both larvae and developing adults. The scientists will continue to analyze the contents of the nest over the next week or so.
They are also not discounting the possibility that there could be other nests out there. "There is still time to find another nest this year," WSDA said.
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