This Imported Hornet Rips Off the Heads of Swiss Bees for the First Time in 20 Years Malaria Infections in the US

The Asian hornet is getting into more and more mischief on the European continent. Some even speak of an “invasion” of the “killer hornets”. But is the situation really that bad?

The Asian hornet was first observed in France. It probably came in on an export shipment from China or Southeast Asia. Since then it has spread all over France and is becoming more and more at home in other regions of Western Europe.

This distribution of the Asian hornet is of particular concern to beekeepers, as reported by the NZZ. Because the species from the Far East is often called a “bee killer”, and not without reason. Especially in summer and autumn, the hornets with the impressive name “Vespa velutina” feast on the local honey bees.

They circle in front of the hives and wait for their prey. When a bee is caught by the Asian hornet, it rips off its head and feeds the protein-rich body to its own offspring.

Swiss experts slightly more hopeful

In France, the Asian hornet is not sympathetic at all. According to the EU’s scientific service, the Vespa velutina is said to have killed up to 14,000 honeybees in individual hives there – per month.

That is why the European Commission has now put them on the list of alien, invasive species, the NZZ writes. The hornet poses a “danger to honey bees and entire ecosystems, as rare wild bees are also on the hornet’s menu.”

In Switzerland, the Vespa velutina is also on the list of alien species, but experts here are less negative. Of course, “the invasion and spread of this hornet species is not good news for the bees,” said bee researcher Gina Retschnig of the Institute for Bee Health at the University of Bern. However:

Daniel Cherix from the University of Lausanne and Fabian Trüb from Apiservice see the Asian hornets as a problem when they are present in high concentrations. “In France and northern Spain, we already have higher densities than in the native home of the hornet in Southeast Asia,” says Trüb.

The Asian hornet was first discovered in Switzerland in 2017 in the Jura. But the spread here and in Germany is still in its infancy. However, a permanent establishment can hardly be avoided.

So far little chance of stopping the spread

However, it should not go as fast as in France (78 kilometers per year). According to Daniel Cherix, local authorities have been inactive for a long time. Switzerland and Germany are trying to combat the intruder more actively.

A task force has been set up specifically for this purpose; effective control is, according to the NZZ, the responsibility of the cantons. The population is called upon to report sightings, photograph the hornets if possible and upload images or videos to the platform www.asienhornisse.ch for identification purposes.

Once a nest is located and discovered, a pest controller uses an insecticide to destroy it. These nests are often found in treetops more than ten meters high.

Insect traps, such as those used in France, are banned here and in Germany, mainly because the collateral damage to other insects is high. According to Gina Retschnig of the IBH, traps with specific odors that specifically attract male hornets are still being developed. But: “With the right measures and an attentive public, an unhindered spread can be contained.” Hopefully.

(cpf)