Yellow‑legged hornets confirmed in North Carolina, first established population

North Carolina agriculture officials confirmed the state's first established population of the invasive Asian yellow‑legged hornet (Vespa velutina) in the Charlotte‑Matthews area. The detection came after a Union County homeowner reported unusual hornet activity near a hummingbird feeder, prompting surveys that found additional hornets near the Union‑Mecklenburg county line.

The hornets hunt honeybees by "hawking," posing a threat to local pollinators and the beekeeping industry. Their nests can reach the size of a volleyball in summer and grow to fill a pickup‑truck bed by fall. State and federal agencies have installed more than 200 monitoring traps and are working to locate and destroy nests before the species spreads further. The discovery follows earlier findings of the species in Georgia (2023) and South Carolina.