Chilling pictures show three "murder hornets" which have alarmed wildlife experts.

The menacing trio were all found in the space of days in Washington state in the US this week.

They can grow to two-and-a-half inches long, and can pose a threat to humans, say ecologists.

The terrifying hornets prey on bees by decapitating them, and have caused a headache for ecologists.

The hornets, officially named Asian giant hornets, were found by a shocked resident in Blaine, Whatcome County.

One of them was photographed attacking a wasp's nest, the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) said.

Officials are anxious to trace the hornets' colony (

Pictures of the fearsome hornets were shared on Facebook, demonstrating their huge size.

Since last year there have been 12 sightings in Washington, WSDA told CBS News.

Before that they had never been identified in the US.

A WSDA spokesman said: "The first one was captured by the resident and the second was captured in a bottle trap they put up on their property after capturing the first."

Officials are desperate to catch live hornets so they can track them and destroy their colony before the can cause havoc.

Describing how the hornets operate, the WSDA said: “The hornets enter a ‘slaughter phase’ where they kill bees by decapitating them.
