Dangerous Invasive Hornet Species Detected In US For 1st Time In GA

SAVANNAH, GA — A live yellow-legged hornet with the potential to be dangerous was recently detected for the first time in Georgia and the U.S., state agriculture officials said Tuesday.

Yellow-legged hornets prey on honeybees and impact beekeeping activities, according to the National Institutes of Health's National Library of Medicine. People are asked to exercise precaution when around these hornets.

The Georgia Department of Agriculture asked the public to report any sightings as the species is a threat to agriculture, Georgia's number one industry.

"This is the first detection of a live yellow-legged hornet in the open United States," the state agriculture department said in a news release Tuesday.

A Savannah beekeeper found an "unusual hornet" earlier this month on his property and reported the sighting to the agriculture department.

Both the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and the University of Georgia identified the hornet as a yellow-legged on Aug. 9.

Agriculture officials said the hornet is a non-native social wasp species that could possibly threaten honey production, native pollinators and agriculture.

"Georgians play an important role helping GDA identify unwanted, non-native pests, and I want to thank the beekeeper who reported his sighting to us, as well as our partners at the University of Georgia and USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service for working swiftly to confirm its identity," Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper said in the release.

"Our experienced team of professionals will continue to assess the situation and are working directly with USDA APHIS and UGA to trap, track and eradicate the yellow-legged hornet in Georgia."

Native to Southeast Asia, the yellow-legged hornets can make egg-shaped paper nests above ground, frequently in trees. These nests have the potential to become large homes to an average of 6,000 hornets.

The yellow-legged hornets can also be found in most of Europe, parts of the Middle East and parts of Asia where it is not native, agriculture officials said.

"The GDA has a team of experienced scientists in their Pest Program, and we are actively collaborating with USDA and academic experts. Together, we are developing an operational plan to trap, track and eradicate the yellow-legged hornet in Georgia," officials said in the release.

To report a possible sighting of a yellow-legged hornet, complete the agriculture department's Watch Report Form. People can also email the agriculture department.

Officials ask people to include the following in their reports:

• Your name and contact information.
• The location of the sighting.
• Date of sighting.
• If you can, safely take photograph(s) of the hornet (Officials generally can only confirm a report with a photo or specimen).
• Location and approximate height of the nest if found (Is it in a tree? About how high is the nest?).
• If you have no photo, please include a description of the size of the insect, the color of the head and body and what it was doing.
• Description of the hive loss/damage (if no photo is available).
• The direction the hornet(s) flew when flying away.

Agriculture officials warn there are several "domestic lookalikes" native to the U.S. that do not threaten honeybees and are considered valuable pollinators. A gallery of these bees can found in a nationwide gallery.