Alarm Issued for Invasive Hornet
With your Southeast Regional Ag News, I am Haylie Shipp. This is the Ag Information Network.
Alarms are going off from agricultural officials as an invasive insect known to be devastatingly effective at preying on honeybees and other pollinators has been seen near Savannah. The pest is the invasive yellow-legged hornet.
According to the Georgia Department of Agriculture, this is the first detection of a live specimen of a yellow-legged hornet in the open U.S. A native to Southeast Asia, this social wasp species constructs nests above the ground, often in trees.
As mentioned, the problem lies in that they feed on a variety of insects. The GDA reports that if allowed to establish in the US, this invasive species could threaten honey production and native pollinators which play a vital role in the agriculture industry.
Worker hornets can be around half the size of a Northern Great Hornet. The legs are – you guessed it – partially or primarily yellow. We’ve got a photo courtesy of the Georgia Department of Agriculture online at AgInfo.net.
If you’re in Georgia and think you’ve seen one, you’re encouraged to fill out an online report at agr.georgia.gov. Photos are encouraged if possible as there are many lookalike species. In other states, any reports can be filed with your local extension agency.
