I have made posts about the european hornet, *Vespa crabro*, on BEE-L in
times past.  Last week I had a bear raid a top bar hive at Ellijay, GA
about 80 mi N of Atlanta, GA USA.  The resulting mixture of bees and comb
attracted many of the hornets of which I collected about a dozen to send
to a colleague for his insect collection; moreover, I found several among
the bees which had probably been killed by the bees.
 
This last weekend I observed the hornets at a stream just down from the
top of Rich Mountain in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, TN.  Rich
Mountain is near Cades Cove.  I noted one hornet apparently picking up
water at the stream.  This location is probably 120 miles (?) N of Atlanta.
 
I'm curious.  Can anyone tell me when the hornet first appeared in the USA?
Where was it introduced?  How widespread is it?  One previous
correspondent indicated that they came into Indiana about 10 years ago if
I understood correctly.
 
Thank you for your time.
 
Cordially yours,
 
Jim
 
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  |  James D. Satterfield        |  E-Mail: [log in to unmask]       |
  |                              --------------------------------
  |  258 Ridge Pine Drive         Canton is about 40 mi/64 km   |
  |  Canton, GA 30114, USA        north of Atlanta, Georgia USA |
  |  Telephone (770) 479-4784                                   |
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