Officials with the Clemson University Department of Plant Industry (DPI) discovered an invasive yellow-legged hornet nest in York County on December 8, 2025 after a local beekeeper reported seeing a hornet preying on honey bees. This was the first detection of a yellow-legged hornet or nest in South Carolina outside the Lowcountry.
To protect York County (and surrounding areas) pollinators, natural resources, and agricultural economy from the potential impacts of this invasive species, Clemson University’s public service units have mobilized to provide education, assist with identification, and coordinate eradication efforts.
Clemson Extension’s York County office, located in downtown York, is on the front-line of this effort by providing outreach education and serving as a trap site to help DPI identify where these hornets might be establishing nests so they can be located and eradicated.
DPI staff will be placing hundreds of traps, like the one in the picture above, throughout York County and surrounding areas to monitor potential sightings. The public is encouraged to NOT disturb these traps, as they are being monitored by Clemson University DPI staff.
The yellow-legged hornet, which is not the same as the northern giant hornet, has the potential to be more aggressive towards humans, especially in the early stages of nest development. Humans are more likely to come in contact with these hornets as they are more apt to build nests on homes and manmade structures.
The most serious concern with the yellow-legged hornet is its potential to damage the already embattled U.S. beekeeping industry. Yellow-legged hornets are a principal pest of honey bees, having caused increased colony losses in western Europe since their detection in 2004. Their establishment and spread in the U.S. is alarming for beekeepers, who are already reeling from a year in which the nation’s colony loss rate was greater than 60 percent.
Residents are urged to use this reporting tool website to document any potential sighting of these hornets. You can learn more about the yellow-legged hornet here and the life-cycle of yellow-legged hornet nests can be seen below:
Related links used for this blog post:
Yellow-legged hornet nest located in York County; residents urged to report sightings
Plant Industry – Trapping Yellow-Legged Hornet
Blog post editor and photographer: Ben Boyles, Agribusiness Agent, York County Coordinator
