Over 1,000 invasive hornets found across Georgia in August as officials continue fighting threat

Georgia officials say they found more than 1,000 members of an invasive species that threatens the state's honeybees and agriculture in August.

The Georgia Department of Agriculture's Plant Protection team has been fighting to keep the yellow-legged hornet from calling the Peach State its home.

The invasive insect was first spotted by a Georgia beekeeper in 2023. Since then, the Georgia Department of Agriculture has been trying to aggressively track and trap the pest.

In August, the Department of Agriculture says its agents found 1,090 hornets and 60 nests while checking nearly 8,000 traps across the state. They've also deployed 48 new traps in an effort to get rid of the species.

With the warming temperatures sticking around, officials say that the hornet activity has continued, asking Georgians to be on the lookout for the hornet's egg-shaped paper nests.

The yellow-legged hornet is native to the tropical and subtropical areas of Southeast Asia and has spread to parts of Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. The 2023 Georgia spotting was the first detection of a live yellow-legged hornet in the United States.

Officials say the hornet is a threat to Georgia's honeybees and other pollinators, which could seriously damage the state's agriculture industry if they continue to spread.

If you believe you have spotted a hornet or possible nest, contact the GDA Plant Protection team at yellow.legged.hornet@agr.georgia.gov.