The Georgia Department of Agriculture announced Tuesday that it has detected an invasive species of hornet that until now hasn’t been spotted in the wild in the United States.
A beekeeper in Savannah made the discovery earlier this month, noticing a yellow-legged hornet. Officials said that if this hornet establishes in Georgia, it could threaten honey production, native pollinators, and agriculture. Now, the state Department of Agriculture is asking for the public to help spot the insect.
Officials said the yellow-legged hornet is a social wasp species that builds egg-shaped paper nests, often in trees. These nests can become huge, with an average of 6,000 workers. If you do observe the hornet, contact the Georgia Department of Agriculture and provide the location and date of sighting, and if it can be done safely, a photograph of the hornet.
Officials say there are many domestic lookalikes that we have here in the United States who do not pose a threat to honeybees.
