Another invasive hornet turns up in Washington | Capital Press

Smaller, less ferocious than notorious ‘murder hornet’

A Washington State Department of Agriculture grain inspector found a yellow-legged hornet on a ship at the Port of Vancouver, causing entomologists to ask the public to watch for the potentially destructive invader.

The yellow-legged hornet, formerly known as an Asian hornet, is smaller and less ferocious than the northern giant hornet, formerly known as the Asian giant hornet and popularly known as the “murder hornet.â€

Still, yellow-legged hornets have caused heavy losses to honey bee hives in Western Europe. Yellow-legged hornets have been found in Georgia and South Carolina.

Washington became the third state with a detection on April 30. The inspector took a photo before the hornet was destroyed. Entomologists agreed it looked like a yellow-legged hornet.

WSDA and U.S. Customs and Border Protection searched the ship and surrounding area the next day, but didn’t find anything. WSDA put up traps in the area.

“We are hopeful that this was a one-off interception,†WSDA pest program manager Sven Spichiger said in a statement.

The northern giant hornet was found in Washington in 2019. It was declared eradicated in 2024. WSDA credited the public with helping rid the state of murder hornets by reporting sightings.

“The public was critical to our ability to eradicate the northern giant hornet, and they will be just as important in responding to this introduction if there are more hornets in the area,†Spichiger said.

The yellow-legged hornet is named for its distinctive yellow lower legs. Worker hornets are three-quarters of an inch to 1 inch long. Queens are slightly larger.

WSDA asked anyone who thinks they see a yellow-legged hornet to send pictures. If a hornet can be safely collected, WSDA asked the specimen be kept in a freezer.

Sightings can be submitted via a website, agr.wa.gov/hornets, or by email to hornets@agr.wa.gov.

A Savannah, Ga., beekeeper in August 2023 reported an unusual looking hornet on his property near the city’s port.

The state Department of Agriculture confirmed it was the first live yellow-legged hornet ever found in the U.S. The hornet has now been found in four Georgia counties.

A yellow-legged hornet nest was found last December in York County, S.C. The county does not border Georgia, but it does border North Carolina.

Yellow-legged hornets were found in France in 2004, believed to have arrived on pots imported from China. The hornets spread rapidly to other countries. European honey bees lack the defensive behaviors developed by Asian honey bees, according to scientific journals.