{"id":2002844,"date":"2023-08-16T17:36:01","date_gmt":"2023-08-16T21:36:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/invasive-yellow-legged-hornet-discovered-in-us-for-first-time\/"},"modified":"2023-08-16T17:51:08","modified_gmt":"2023-08-16T21:51:08","slug":"invasive-yellow-legged-hornet-discovered-in-us-for-first-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/invasive-yellow-legged-hornet-discovered-in-us-for-first-time\/","title":{"rendered":"First-ever sighting of invasive Yellow-Legged Hornet in US."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Finvasive-yellow-legged-hornet-discovered-in-us-for-first-time%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2002844&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div data-post-content=\"true\" class=\"post_content\" id=\"post_content\">\n<h2>Scientists Discover Invasive Yellow-Legged\u2063 Hornet in \u200dthe United States<\/h2>\n<p>Exciting news from the Georgia\u2064 Department\u2063 of Agriculture (GDA)! They have just made a groundbreaking discovery &#8211; the first live \u200dspecimen of an invasive yellow-legged hornet species in the United\u200b States.<\/p>\n<p>In collaboration with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and \u200dthe University of Georgia (UGA), \u2062the GDA \u2063announced on Aug. 15 that a beekeeper in\u200c Savannah, Georgia spotted an \u2062unusual-looking hornet on his property earlier this month. \u2064The beekeeper promptly reported it to the GDA, who \u200bconfirmed on Aug. 9 that it was\u2062 indeed a yellow-legged hornet.<\/p>\n<p>This finding has raised concerns among experts. Georgia Agriculture Commissioner \u200bTyler \u200bHarper emphasized the \u2062potential threat this invasive\u200b species poses to honeybees\u200d and other native pollinators, which are vital for the \u200dagriculture industry.<\/p>\n<div class=\"shortcode\">\n<div class=\"mb-4 mr-4 w-full max-w-[500px] border border-[#D3D3D3] px-5 py-4 text-[16px] leading-[20px] text-[#262626] md:float-left\">\n<div class=\"mb-3 font-sans text-[16px] font-semibold uppercase leading-[19px] text-[#2F2F2F]\">Related Stories<\/div>\n<ul>\n<li>\n          <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/science\/scientists-will-set-1000-traps-for-murder-hornets-this-year-4488134\">Scientists Will Set \u20631,000 Traps for Murder \u200cHornets This \u2063Year<\/a><br \/>\n          <span class=\"text-[14px] leading-[18px] text-[#737373]\">5\/25\/2022<\/span>\n        <\/li>\n<li>\n          <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/washington-state-eradicates-first-murder-hornet-nest-of-the-year-3967218\">Washington State Eradicates First &#8216;Murder Hornet&#8217; Nest of the Year<\/a><br \/>\n          <span class=\"text-[14px] leading-[18px] text-[#737373]\">8\/26\/2021<\/span>\n        <\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;This is a significant \u2064threat to Georgia agriculture,&#8221; warned Mr.\u2064 Harper during a news conference on Aug. \u200c15. He emphasized that if this <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/education-insanity-top-10-stories-of-the-week-vol-4\/\" title=\"Education Insanity: Top 10 Stories Of The Week (Vol. 4)\">invasive species<\/a>\u200b establishes itself in the state, it could have devastating \u200bconsequences for agriculture as a whole.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;American farmers\u200d grow more than 100\u2062 different crops that require pollination,&#8221; he explained. &#8220;According to USDA estimates, pollinators contribute over $18 billion in revenue to U.S. Crop Production every\u200c year,\u200d and approximately one-third of the food consumed\u2064 by Americans comes from crops that require pollination. Many of these\u2063 crops \u200bare \u2062grown \u2062by Georgia \u2062producers, including apples, blueberries,\u2063 and watermelons, just to\u2063 name a few.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Harper urged Georgians to document and report any hornet\u200c sightings to their local extension office or the GDA. However, he \u200calso cautioned \u2063that \u200cyellow-legged hornets can be dangerous, and advised people to exercise caution if\u2062 they encounter \u200done.<\/p>\n<div>\n<figure style=\"width:640px\" class=\"alignnone\"><figcaption>The yellow-legged hornet is an invasive hornet species native to Southeast\u2064 Asia. (Courtesy of Georgia Department\u200c of Agriculture)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;Georgians \u200dplay \u2063an\u2064 important \u2064role in helping the GDA identify unwanted, non-native pests, and I\u2064 want\u200c to express my gratitude to\u200b the beekeeper who\u2063 reported his sighting to us,\u2062 as well \u2063as our partners at the University \u200bof\u2062 Georgia and USDA&#8217;s Animal &#038; Plant Health\u2064 Inspection Service for\u200b their swift confirmation,&#8221; Mr.\u200c Harper expressed his appreciation.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Our \u200dexperienced\u200b team of professionals will continue to assess\u200b the situation and work closely with\u2064 USDA APHIS and UGA\u200c to\u2062 trap, track, and eradicate the yellow-legged hornet in Georgia,&#8221; \u2062he added.<\/p>\n<h2>About the Yellow-Legged Hornet<\/h2>\n<p>The yellow-legged hornet, described\u200b by the\u2063 GDA as a &#8220;social wasp species,&#8221; is\u200d native\u200d to tropical and subtropical regions of \u200cSoutheast Asia. It has also established itself in various parts of Europe, the\u2062 Middle \u2063East, and Asia where it was not originally found.<\/p>\n<p>These <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/invasive-yellow-legged-hornet-discovered-in-us-for-first-time\/\" title=\"First-ever sighting of invasive Yellow-Legged Hornet in US.\">insects construct egg-shaped \u2063paper nests<\/a>, often in trees \u200babove ground, which \u2064can\u2064 grow large and\u200d accommodate up\u200b to 6,000 worker hornets.<\/p>\n<p>While\u200b no nests or colonies have been\u200d located yet, scientists are uncertain \u2063about the hornets&#8217; \u200dpopulation size. The GDA has not disclosed how\u2063 long they suspect the insects have been present in\u200d Georgia.<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Keith Delaplane, a honey bee\u200c expert at the University of Georgia,\u2064 described the yellow-legged hornet as a &#8220;voracious predator&#8221; of honey bees. However, he\u200b assured that the insect does not\u200c pose a threat\u2064 to humans.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;In terms \u200bof epidemiological health risks to Americans, the risk\u2064 is relatively low when considering data from China. In the United States, we \u200bhave \u2064about 72 \u2062deaths per \u200byear from all stinging insects combined,&#8221; Dr. Delaplane explained. \u200d&#8221;So, from a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/texas-senators-lead-delegation-to-southern-border\/\" title=\"Texas senators lead delegation to southern border\">public health perspective<\/a>, this is not a major concern.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Delaplane also\u200c pointed \u200bout \u200bthat the yellow-legged hornet is sometimes mistaken\u200c for its relative, the Asian giant hornet, also known as the &#8220;murder hornet.&#8221; The Asian\u200b giant hornet is another invasive species that\u200c was discovered in North America in 2019.<\/p>\n<div>\n<figure style=\"width:640px\" class=\"alignnone\"><figcaption>Washington State \u2063Department of Agriculture worker holds two\u2064 of the dozens of\u200b Asian giant hornets\u200b vacuumed from a tree in Blaine, Wash., on Oct. 24, 2020. (Elaine Thompson\/File\/AP Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The \u200dAsian \u200bgiant hornet holds \u200cthe title of the world&#8217;s largest hornet species, with queens growing up to 2\u2064 inches in length. However, Dr. Delaplane emphasized \u200dthat yellow-legged hornets \u200bare equally \u200charmful to native pollinators due to their ability to \u2063rapidly kill domestic honeybees \u2064and other hornet species.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It is often referred to \u200cas the bee hawk\u200c for good reason,&#8221; he concluded.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>live specimen of an invasive yellow-legged hornet species has been found in the US. The Georgia Department of Agriculture, along with the USDA and the University of Georgia, made the announcement on Aug. 15. This marks the first time this species has been detected in the country.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":124,"featured_media":2002845,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[543],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2002844","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-epoch-times"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2002844","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/124"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2002844"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2002844\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2002845"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2002844"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2002844"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2002844"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}