Fake signs warning of murder hornets spotted in Washington

Fake signs warning of murder hornets are popping up around Washington State hiking trails.

Wildlife officials in the state spent their Memorial Day weekend debunking the rumors and removing the signs from nature trails after receiving “several reports” of the legitimate-looking laminated warnings, according to the state’s Department of Agriculture.

“These signs – as most of the reports suspected [sightings] – are FAKE,” the department posted on Facebook along with a photo of the signs slapped with the official seal of the Washington Department of Natural Resources.

“Well done to all of you alert trail-goers and thank you for helping prevent the spread of misinformation,” the department continued. “Unfortunately, not only was this sign fake, but almost all the information on it was incorrect.”

Two dead giant hornets were first found in the Pacific Northwest, while another live nest was found farther north in Canada toward the end of 2019, spurring a media frenzy around the deadly, two-inch-long invasive bugs.

While their sting can be fatal, experts have mostly been concerned with their potential impact on honeybee populations and believe it is unlikely that the hornets would spread across the country.

But just six of the massive insects could decimate an entire honeybee hive relatively quickly, decapitating each bee in seconds.

In November, a Washington state beekeeper found his thriving bee colony had been destroyed. Murder hornets are the suspected culprits, but officials have not been able to confirm the attack.

Experts have worried that fear around the murder hornets would lead to the killing of millions of bees mistaken for the invasive bugs and Washington officials have tried to educate the public on identifying bee and hornet species.