In April 2020, authorities in Washington asked members of the public to be alert and report any sightings of these hornets, which are expected to become active in April if they are in the area. If they become established, it is claimed that the hornets "could decimate bee populations in the United States and establish such a deep presence that all hope for eradication could be lost." A "full-scale hunt" for the species by the WSDA is underway. Two assessment models of their potential to spread from their present location on the US–Canada border suggests that they could spread northward into coastal British Columbia and Southeast Alaska, and southward as far as southern Oregon. The USDA's Agricultural Research Service is engaged in lure/attractant development and molecular genetics research, both as part of its normal research mission but also to further the near-term eradication goal in Washington State.