Agriculture officials are raising the alarm after an invasive yellow-legged hornet was seen near Savannah, Georgia. The insects are devastatingly effective at preying on honeybees and other pollinators.
“This is the first time a live specimen of this species has been detected in the open United States,” the Georgia Department of Agriculture said, after confirming the insect’s presence with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the University of Georgia.
The yellow-legged hornet, Vespa velutina, is native to Southeast Asia. It’s a close cousin of the northern giant hornet, Vespa mandarinia, also known as the Asian giant hornet — or, more frighteningly, “murder hornet,” for the deadly and violent havoc it wreaks on bee colonies.
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