Location: Crop Bioprotection Research
Project Number: 5010-30400-001-010-I
Project Type: Interagency Reimbursable Agreement
Start Date: Jun 1, 2026
End Date: Mar 31, 2028
Objective:
Goals:
• Determine whether the yellow-legged hornet (YLH) has the potential to act as a vector of microbial pathogens to honey bees in newly invaded areas of the United States.
Objectives:
• Characterize microbial pathogens associated with YLH.
• Compare pathogen profiles between YLH and nearby honey bee colonies.
• Evaluate transmission potential and overlap of pathogens.
Approach:
Proposed Work:
1. Collect yellow-legged hornet (YLH) and honey bees along the invasion zone for pathogen range determination in YLH. State cooperators from Georgia and South Carolina will collect YLH and honey bees from multiple invasion sites in the southeastern U.S. via the use of traps and aspirators. YLH and honey bees will be quickly frozen and sent to the Agricultural Research Service - National Center for Agricultural Research - Crop Bioprotection Research Unit (ARS-NCAUR-CBP) for DNA extraction and pathogen detection/quantification.
2. Characterize microbial pathogens associated with YLH, determining pathogen copy numbers, infection prevalence and intensity. Frozen samples will be used to extract DNA from individual samples using a DNA extraction protocol developed to accommodate YLH larger body size. These samples will be screened via qPCR for a panel of honey bee pathogens. We will target specific honey bee pathogens (i.e., Nosema ceranae, Deformed Wing Virus, Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus) to evaluate infection patterns. We will conduct a combined metagenomic approach to comprehensively profile the pathogens infecting YLH and honey bees.
3. Compare pathogen profiles between YLH and nearby honey bee colonies. Honey bee samples will be collected from colonies located in areas with and without known YLH populations, in collaboration with local beekeepers and state collaborators. Collected honey bee samples will be screened to assess prevalence and intensity of pathogen infections using qPCR and metagenomics. This will identify shared pathogens between YLH and honey bees. This will also estimate the relative infection risks and identify candidate pathogens for further monitoring.