Invasive yellow-legged hornet, relative to ‘murder hornet,’ spotted in Georgia

SAVANNAH, Ga. — An invasive hornet that may be considered dangerous has been found in Georgia.

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The Georgia Department of Agriculture announced that it is the first time that the yellow-legged hornet has been found in the wild in the U.S.

It is a relative of the “murder hornet,” or Asian giant hornet or northern giant hornet, which was found in Washington state in 2019, CBS News reported.

A Savannah beekeeper found it earlier this month and reported it to the state, WSB reported. It was confirmed to be an invasive species by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

The hornet is native to tropical and subtropical areas of Southeast Asia and it builds its egg-shaped paper nests in trees. The nets can be huge, with about 6,000 workers inside.

The hornet is also found in Europe, the Middle East and other parts of Asia, but is not native to those areas, CBS News reported.

The state Department of Agriculture said the hornets can not only be dangerous, but they can also threaten honey production, native pollinators and agriculture. The agency is working with the USDA and academics to come up with an “operational plan to trap, track, and eradicate the yellow-legged hornet in Georgia.”

They are asking the public for help in reporting sightings but remind people that there are domestic lookalikes that pose no danger to honeybees, WSB reported.

Officials are also setting up traps to capture the hornets. If they find a colony they will destroy it, CBS News reported.