Vespa volutina and honey bee
Discovery of non-native yellow-legged hornet confirmed in Georgia for the first time (Aug. 9, 2023)
The Georgia Department of Agriculture (GDA) announced Aug. 15, 2023, in coordination with USDA and the University of Georgia, confirmation of the presence of a yellow-legged hornet in Georgia for the first time. GDA is asking the public to report any sightings of the yellow-legged hornet, a non-native hornet species, that, if allowed to establish in Georgia, could potentially threaten honey production, native pollinators and our state’s number one industry – agriculture.

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Bee Program News

Dalan Animal Health moved to the Delta Innovation Hub on UGA’s campus in the fall of 2022. The company has shipped 500 doses of the world’s first honeybee vaccine, which it developed, to partners in California, potentially protecting as many as 25 million bees. (Photo courtesy of Dalan Animal Health) CAES News
Delta Innovation Hub provides new hive for creators of world’s first honey bee vaccine
In the fall of 2022, Annette Kleiser was looking for a new professional home. Her company, Dalan Animal Health, was developing the world’s first honeybee vaccine and needed a top research university that offered excellent veterinary and agriculture schools, honey bee research and an established animal health ecosystem. The University of Georgia was just what the doctor ordered.
A closeup image of a yellow-legged hornet (Vespa velutina), which was discovered in Georgia in August. It is the first time the invasive insect, which is a voracious predator of honey bees, has been found in the United States. CAES News
Non-native yellow-legged hornet confirmed in Georgia, U.S. for the first time
The Georgia Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences have confirmed the discovery of a yellow-legged hornet in Georgia for the first time. This is the first detection of live yellow-legged hornets in the open United States.
University of Georgia Honey Bee Program

 

Our research addresses sustainable bee health management issues as well as more basic questions on bee pollination and foraging ecology. The UGA Bee Program aims to develop research, teaching and extension initiatives that are locally responsive while globally relevant.

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