Dr. Gard W. Otis, University of Guelph, Canada, and Institute of Bee Health, Switzerland

The Yellow-legged Hornet, Vespa velutina, naturally inhabits a large region in Asia, but since 2004 it has demonstrated its invasion potential by colonizing most of western Europe. The discovery of this social wasp in Savannah, Georgia, in August, 2023, has the potential to dramatically affect beekeeping in southeastern USA, the Pacific Northwest of North America, and several other regions of the world.