BEAUFORT COUNTY, SC (FOX Carolina) – Officials with Clemson University’s Department of Plant Industry (DPI) have found and destroyed several secondary nests of the yellow-legged hornet (Vespa velutina) in trees in South Carolina near Hilton Head Island.

According to officials, these are the first secondary nests of yellow-legged hornets discovered in the state.

The operation came after a beekeeper in Beaufort County, South Carolina, recorded on video how the hornets attacked his honey bees in a so-called “frenzy behavior” and then alerted the DPI.

DPI officials used a trapping system and on-site surveillance by department personnel to locate and destroy the nests.

“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, in a press release.

Clemson inspectors are asking homeowners to allow 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.

Residents who find a suspected nest should report their discovery here.

You should also provide photographs and the nest should be left untouched so that it can be properly disposed of by field inspectors.

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