ATLANTA - The Georgia Agriculture Commission called on the public Thursday to help track, trap, and eradicate invasive yellow-legged hornets across the state.
Georgia hornet eradication efforts
What we know:
The Georgia Department of Agriculture is working to stop the spread of the invasive yellow-legged hornet. Officials issued a press release Thursday urging residents to watch for secondary nests.
These large, paper-like nests are gray or brown and can grow larger than a beach ball. They are typically built high in trees or in other elevated spots and remain visible from late summer through winter.
The hornets target local ecosystems, and residents can spot them hunting around beehives. This hawking activity is most common before noon and after 5 p.m.
Suspected nests and insects should be reported to yellow.legged.hornet@agr.georgia.gov.
Tracking the invasive spread
What we don't know:
Officials have not yet confirmed exactly how many secondary nests have been established in the region. It also remains unclear how far the hornets have spread outside of currently monitored zones.
What you can do:
Anyone who believes they have a yellow-legged hornet nest in their yard, email yellow.legged.hornet@agr.georgia.gov or go to https://agr.georgia.gov/yellow-legged-hornet.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper, who explained the tracking efforts in a Thursday press release, as well as official nest reporting guidelines from the Georgia Department of Agriculture.