These are the first secondary nests of yellow-legged hornets found in the state. The nests were found in trees.

The search and destroy mission – which included a trapping system and on-site monitoring by agency staff – came after a beekeeper in Beaufort County filmed the hornets attacking his honey bees in what he called a “frenzy” and alerted DPI.

“We found an embryo nest in April, but these are the first secondary nests we have found in South Carolina. We urge people in the Lowcountry, especially in the Bluffton and Hilton Head Island areas, to stay vigilant and report any suspicious nests or hornets to us immediately. This is our best chance to control this potentially devastating pest,” said Steven Long, deputy director of the Clemson DPI.

Clemson inspectors are asking homeowners to allow them access to their property while they continue their search for additional nests in Beaufort and Jasper counties.

Inspectors can be identified by badges or shirts and safety vests with the Clemson DPI logo.

“If one of our inspectors knocks on your door or you see them walking around your property or neighborhood, please remember that they are doing their job to protect the state from these hornets and the damage they can do to our beekeeping industry. This will be an ongoing effort,” said Brad Cavin, who coordinates the Clemson University program responsible for combating the invasive hornets.

Anyone who finds a suspicious nest should report their discovery at www.clemson.edu/public/regulatory/plant-industry/invasive/ylh.html and attach photographs. The nest should be left alone for proper disposal by field inspectors.

The destruction of the secondary nests is another step in the fight against the hornet, which involved the Georgia Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Savannah National Wildlife Refuge and Hilton Head Exterminators.

“Success in the fight against the yellow-legged hornet depends on collaboration between state and federal partners. The Georgia Department of Agriculture, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and USDA are great partners and we will continue to share information and resources,” said Stephen Cole, executive director of Clemson Regulatory Services.

The first known detection of the hornet in South Carolina was on November 9, 2023, and came after DPI’s Apiary Inspection Program worked with the Clemson Cooperative Extension Apiculture and Pollinator Program to develop a proactive trapping protocol to serve as an early warning system to keep an eye on the invasive insect. Then, on March 14, a yellow-legged hornet queen was captured.

The hornet builds egg-shaped nests made of paper above ground and often in trees. Adult nests can be large, housing an average of 6,000 workers.

Yellow-legged hornets differ from many other nest-building insects in that they build multiple nests throughout the year as their numbers increase. The queen begins with a small embryo nest for herself and a few workers. When this nest becomes too large, the queen moves to another area, protected from the weather, where the workers build a “primary nest” that may be about the size of a basketball. In the middle of the year, she moves again to a “secondary nest” – her last nest of the year to maximize reproductive numbers.

In the southeast, secondary nests are generally found in high, open areas from August to November and can be as large as a car engine.

While the yellow-legged hornet – not to be confused with the northern giant hornet – is no more harmful to humans than other hornets, it can have devastating effects on both domestic and wild bees.

The yellow-legged hornet is native to Southeast Asia and has established itself in most of Europe and the Middle East. This exotic hornet can be confused with several native insects, including the cicada killer wasp, bald-faced hornet, paper wasps, yellowjacket queens, wood wasps, and robber flies, but differs from these other stinging insects by its larger size.