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<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\nPhoto Description: <\/strong>As soon as the first YLH workers\u00a0emerge, the process of nest building and brood rearing speeds up. The embryo nest that was constructed by the YLH queen transitions into the primary nest. This small nest\u00a0established\u00a0by the newly emerged workers serves as the colony\u2019s first home before the hornets expand into larger secondary nests. Image credits:<\/strong> Brad Cavin; CU DPI, CU DPI YLH Reporting Tool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What happened?<\/strong> In August 2023, Vespa velutina,<\/em> Yellow-Legged Hornet (YLH) was detected in the United States for the first time near Savannah, GA, less than five miles from the South Carolina-Georgia border. In Spring 2024, several YLH queens and one embryo nest were found in Beaufort County; worker detections continued through summer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Why do we care?<\/strong> Yellow-Legged Hornets prey on honeybees, causing reduced foraging and colony failure. This impact would result in reduced honey and other honeybee products and reduced crop production due to decreased pollination by honeybees and native pollinators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What are we doing?<\/strong> With the Support of USDA APHIS, Clemson’s Honeybee Protection Program is surveying for YLH focusing on detecting workers and finding nests within a wide area around the initial detections. Baited traps are used to initially detect hornets, followed by tracking live hornets to narrow down the nest search area. Eradication focuses on locating and destroying nests including queens. Nests should ideally be destroyed by late summer or very early fall before new queens are actively mating and dispersing. Nest destruction will continue throughout the fall and early winter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Image descriptions<\/strong>: The above maps reflect the YLH nests located and removed to date in SC (left) and the YLH trapping areas in SC (right). To view the live nest map, please follow this link<\/strong><\/a>. Image credit: <\/strong>Brad Cavin; CU DPI. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Clemson Department of Plant Industry (DPI) and USDA inspectors placed and regularly monitor Yellow-Legged hornet traps throughout Beaufort, Jasper, Colleton, Charleston, Chester, Dorchester, Hampton, Lancaster, and York Counties of South Carolina. Trapping sites are established near known YLH detections and honeybee colonies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n During the Spring season the YLH Queen emerges from overwintering. Early detection of the first stage of nest called an \u201cEmbryo Nest\u201d is critical in preventing the third and final stage called a \u201cSecondary Nest\u201d. During this time the queen constructs the nest in which she rears the first set of workers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n DPI is currently monitoring traps and removing YLH nests when discovered. Expanding trapping locations and continuing public outreach efforts are also major objectives. The public should survey structures and report any YLH Embryo Nests, typically found in protected areas that are sheltered from environmental conditions (ex. constructed underneath roof lines, eaves of buildings).<\/p>\n\n\n\n The YLH lifecycle shows year-round identification. By recognizing the hornet in different stages of life and understanding the different nests constructed throughout the lifecycle, citizens can assist in the early detection and eradication of infestations. YLH move to new areas primarily through human activities such as trade, travel, and tourism, often hitching rides on vehicles and cargo. It also has a natural movement ranging from 10 to 20 miles a year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Photo Descriptions:<\/strong> Primary nests are commonly built in sheltered, protected locations such as: sheds, garages, barns, carports, porch ceilings, eaves of buildings, birdhouses, shrubs or hedges, abandoned structures. Photo credits: <\/strong>Brad Cavin; CU DPI, Nate Krellis; Hilton Head Exterminators, and CU DPI Reporting Tool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Identification<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Behavior<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Colony Structure<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Photo descriptions: <\/strong>Yellow Jacket Queens; Vespula spp.<\/em> Photo credits: <\/strong>Clemson University Department of Plant Industry YLH Reporting Tool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nest Description<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nest Location<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Size & Growth:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Photo descriptions: <\/strong>Yellow Jacket nests. Photo credits: <\/strong>CU DPI YLH Reporting Tool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The mission of Clemson University Department of Plant Industry (DPI) is to protect South Carolina\u2019s agricultural resources and natural ecosystems from the introduction and spread of invasive species and to enhance the efficiency of South Carolina\u2019s agriculture. South Carolina faces major concerns from biosecurity issues and exotic pests. Without federal assistance, South Carolina would not be able to maintain early detection, provide maximum affordable laboratory capability, and maintain a field force to conduct surveys and identify, quarantine, and dispose of introduced pests at effective levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Clemson DPI would like to recognize the funding and support received from the USDA, without which YLH trapping efforts would not be possible. We would also like to thank the GA Department of Agriculture for their invaluable expertise and collaboration on YLH eradication in SC.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Tune in for our monthly newsletter! Get the newsletter to your inbox each month. To subscribe scan this QR code or follow the instructions below:<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1. Create a new email message to listserv@lists.clemson.edu<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2. In the body of the message, type the following: subscribe listname First Last<\/p>\n\n\n\n Example: subscribe SCYLHNEWSLETTER Jane Doe<\/p>\n\n\n\n 3. If there is an email signature in the body of the message, you must remove it so it does not interfere with Listserv reading the subscription command.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 4. Send the email.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 5. Subscriber should receive an email confirmation it was successful.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" May 2026 Yellow-Legged Hornet Update: Primary Nest Status Introduction Our goal is to keep you informed about the Yellow-legged Hornet (YLH) infestation in South Carolina. Supportive community relationships are essential to the success of detecting, tracking, and removing this pest. This update is being issued to collaborators, communities, and stakeholders, and we invite you to share this […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4054,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15885,93921,94669],"tags":[],"coauthors":[94668],"class_list":["post-1129","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-invasive-species","category-plant-industry","category-yellow-legged-hornet"],"fimg_url":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/regulatory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1129","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/regulatory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/regulatory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/regulatory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4054"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/regulatory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1129"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/regulatory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1129\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/regulatory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1129"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/regulatory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1129"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/regulatory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1129"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/regulatory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=1129"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":1114,"date":"2026-05-01T12:23:41","date_gmt":"2026-05-01T12:23:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/regulatory\/?p=1114"},"modified":"2026-05-01T12:23:41","modified_gmt":"2026-05-01T12:23:41","slug":"april-2026-asian-longhorned-beetle-alb-cooperative-eradication-program-community-update-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/regulatory\/april-2026-asian-longhorned-beetle-alb-cooperative-eradication-program-community-update-2\/","title":{"rendered":"April 2026 Asian Longhorned Beetle (ALB) Cooperative Eradication Program Community Update"},"content":{"rendered":"\n We want to keep you informed about the Asian longhorned\u202fbeetle (ALB) infestation in South Carolina, as supportive community\u202frelationships are essential to the success of eradicating the beetle. This update\u202fis being issued to established collaborators, communities, and stakeholders, and we invite you to share this information with anyone who may be affected by our operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Program Photo of the Month:<\/strong>\u00a0Asian longhorned beetle (ALB) found in pool filter from SC quarantine. Checking your pool and filters and skimmers can be useful activities that help identify the presence of ALB.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now is the time of year where everyone is hopping in pools, even ALB. The adult beetles are starting to emerge from the insides of trees as they fully mature. Until you close your pool down for the season, looking inside filters and skimmers is a useful way to assess if ALB may be in your area. If you see ALB, please take a photo, preserve the specimen if you can by placing it in a plastic bag or small jar in the freezer, and contact our program immediately! Although we do have native look-a-likes, we appreciate all reports that help us to detect and eradicate ALB.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On August 24th, 2025, off-duty inspectors with Clemson University\u2019s Department of Plant Industry (DPI) detected the presence of Asian Longhorned Beetle (ALB) in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. In response, a new state quarantine was established on October 15th, 2025, to help contain and manage the infestation. Please visit the link below to view the new quarantined area.<\/p>\n\n\n\nBackground<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
What does it look like?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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![\"This](\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/regulatory\/files\/2026\/01\/YLH-Newsletter_ID.png\")
Life Cycle<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"This](\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/regulatory\/files\/2026\/01\/YLH-Life-Cycle-1024x768.png\")
YLH By the Numbers \u2013 2026 Stats as of 05\/18\/2026<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\nLook-a-like of the Month<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Yellow Jacket (Vespula spp.)<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\nWhat you can do<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Closing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Helpful Links<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Want to stay in the loop?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Hole-y City Headline<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n
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