Invasive hornets pose threat to GA agriculture
Updated: Oct 17, 2023
By Margaret Brogan and Javon Huynh
Yellow-legged hornets, an invasive species that poses a threat to local agriculture, were spotted in Savannah, Georgia this August.
The yellow-legged hornets, native to South-East Asia, feed on a variety of insects including honey bees. The yellow legged hornet is a “close cousin of the northern giant hornet” which is also best known as the “murder hornet” according to an NPR article.
Allie Crockett, a local representative for the Brier Creek Soil and Water Conservation District, says that this invasive species could have a detrimental impact on local agriculture. Agriculture is the number one industry in Georgia according to CAES Newswire.
“The big issue is the problem it will cause by killing the honey bees,” said Crockett. “No bees, no food for us.”
Honey bees play a vital role in the crop pollination process which, according to the FDA, adds $15 billion in crop value. Crop pollination through honey bees is necessary for certain fruits and vegetables like cucumbers and eggplants which are two of Georgia’s top export crops according to East Fruit.
Bees of Georgia, a website run by Georgia Gwinnett College, said that bees pollinate 1 in every 3 bites of food that U.S. citizens eat daily.
The hornets were discovered near Savannah in August. This was the first time a living yellow-legged hornet has been found in the United States, according to the Georgia Department of Agriculture.
“Two nests have been found outside of Savannah,” Crockett said. “The Department of Agriculture is desperately trying to get the word out and have people report sightings in order to find out how far it has made it in Georgia.”
Josh Sanders, the owner of Sanders Honey Company in Waycross, Georgia, was not aware of the threat the hornets pose to local hives until recently. Sanders hasn’t been able to develop a protocol to protect his hives yet.
“I have read and heard through the Georgia Department of Agriculture not to kill the yellow-legged hornets if found,” Sanders said. “Instead, call the department and they will come and put trackers on the hornets and track them back to their nest and hopefully eradicate them or control them.”
The Georgia Department of Agriculture and professionals from the University of Georgia have been able to locate and destroy two nests with the help of beekeepers. Honey bee populations have continued to decline due to parasites like varroa mites, pesticides, habitat loss and diseases which can affect upwards of 40% of colonies in the United States according to the USDA.
Isis Swartz, an environmental science student at Georgia Military College, is concerned about the potential harm the species may cause.
“I believe yellow-legged hornets are detrimental to our environment as they pose a threat to other pollinators in the United States,” said Swartz. “They are another environmental bad in all the bads that we have created.”
Tim Davis, director of the Coastal Georgia Botanical Garden, spoke with WJCL in September about the urgency of reporting any potential sightings.
“If you see something and you're not sure, go ahead and get a photo of it, send it into GDA or the extension office, let us look at it,” said Davis. “I’d rather get a lot of things that aren’t this, than miss something that is.”
Davis was contacted for more information about the potential impacts of an outbreak but did not comment in time for the publication of this article.
If you believe you may have spotted a yellow-legged hornet, take a photo and fill out this online reporting form provided by the Georgia Department of Agriculture.
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