Ag News

Yellow-legged Hornets moving inland

On March 30, the Georgia Department of Agriculture (GDA) urged Georgians, especially those in Bryan, Bulloch, Chatham, Effingham, Liberty, and Screven counties, to remain vigilant for Yellow-legged Hornet (YLH) embryo and primary nests as overwintering queens emerge and begin establishing new nests.

Most recently, the GDA Plant Protection team identified a yellow-legged hornet (YLH) queen in Statesboro (Bulloch County). This discovery has prompted an expansion of trapping efforts in the area. GDA has approximately 3,100 traps deployed statewide, including about 900 added since Jan. 1. Many of the new traps have been placed in Bulloch County, particularly near the Statesboro site.

Beekeepers should keep a close eye on their hives for signs of “hawking” behavior, in which hornets hover around honeybee hives and wait for bees to return from foraging. The hornets intercept bees, bite off their heads and consume the rest of their bodies.

According to the GDA, hawking can happen at any time, though it tends to peak before noon and again after 5 p.m.

The more detailed information beekeepers and the public can share – such as the direction the hornets are flying – the faster their nests can be located. Georgians who would like to help are free to set up DIY traps. An instructional video on constructing a trap can be seen here.   The bait usually ferments within a day or two and is designed to minimize attraction to bees. Please report any hornet activity detected in Georgia directly to us via email at yellow.legged.hornet@agr.georgia.gov or online.

Persons outside Georgia should contact their state’s Department of Agriculture.

In December 2025, trap detections declined, coinciding with a period of very cold temperatures, including several days in the teens and low 20s. During this time, there was a stretch of approximately 20 days with no positive detections – similar to Winter 2024, when no hornets were captured for about two weeks.

Activity has since resumed. In late March, a hornet believed to be a queen was captured, bringing the total number of queens trapped this year to five.

As of March 30, GDA had 11 part-time trappers in the field and continued to review additional applications. The agency’s goal is to expand to 15–16 part-time trappers, along with two full-time positions, in addition to existing permanent staff. Open positions can be found at https://careers.georgia.gov/.

For nearly three years, the Georgia Department of Agriculture has worked aggressively to track, trap, and contain this invasive pest—but continued public support is essential to limit its spread. Early detection and reporting of these nests—the first stages of nest development—are critical, as eliminating them now stops queens from producing workers, reducing the risk of larger secondary nests later in the year and making long-term control efforts more effective.

Individuals who believe they’ve discovered an embryo or primary nest are asked contact the GDA Plant Protection team at yellow.legged.hornet@agr.georgia.gov or a licensed pest management professional to ensure the queen is properly eradicated.

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