As the nickname suggests, they are highly skilled at killing entire beehives. These insects use their mega mandibles to kill and decapitate bees by the thousands.

Once they have taken over the hive, the wasps defend it as their own, ripping apart the brood to feed their own offspring, said the WSDA.

The venom from a single sting can kill a human.

Furthermore, they inject their prey with a significant amount of venom, the WSDA added. The amount of venom injected in a single sting could kill a human, although such deaths are rare, according to the WSDA.

With this first observation in 2021, the WSDA will be setting up live traps in the area; entomologists will then tag the captured wasps so they can track the individual back to its nest.

Since the sighting occurred just 0.8 km from the US-Canada border, officials there will also be installing additional traps, the WSDA reported in a statement.