The presence of the hornets, which are known to attack honeybees, could result in reduced honey, other honeybee products and crop production.<\/p>\n
\u201cNCDA&CS has been monitoring for the yellow-legged hornet since it was first detected in the United States in Savannah, Georgia, in November 2023. This aggressive pest of honeybees and other pollinators had been previously localized near Savannah, Georgia, and Charleston, South Carolina, until a population was identified last December in York County, South Carolina, just south of the Charlotte metropolitan area,\u201d Dr. Bill Foote, director of the NCDA&CS Plant Industry Division, said. \u201cThis detection prompted us to ramp up surveillance this year in southern Union and Mecklenburg counties. North Carolina has thousands of beekeepers statewide, and our apiary team has been working diligently to alert them to the threat the yellow-legged hornet poses to their hives.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/19c8ff2a-7cf6-48bc-b62d-93beaf5b254a-yellowleggedhornethive.jpg\")
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A man holds a yellow-legged hornet hive. The North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services says they can grow much larger than other hornet nests and have a reddish, muddy color to them. (Photo: North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services)<\/p>\n
State officials are asking beekeepers to be on alert for hornets showing hawk-like behavior, along with large reddish, muddy-colored nests. <\/p>\n