5 Things to Do When Encountering an Asian Hornet: Tips from Entomologists and Beekeepers in Burgundy, France

The Asian hornet was observed in France more than 15 years ago. Today widely installed in Burgundy and Franche-Comté, it is a threat to bee apiaries. Here are five things to do when encountering an Asian hornet.

In Burgundy, the Asian hornet is an invasive species that is now part of the landscape. Installed since 2004, this insect with a painful sting poses many problems for beekeepers.

But what is it possible to deal with this Hymenoptera?

Insects of the Vespidae family, such as wasps and hornets, live according to the rhythm of the seasons. The queen buries herself before autumn and comes out of the ground in spring. This is something to take into account when setting traps.

Mathurin Carnet is an entomologist at the Natural History Society of Autun. According to him, the best time to act is In early spring. The goal is to target new queens that emerge and will seek to found new colonies.

On the other hand, he calls for caution in the face of the scams of certain specialists in the eradication of insects: “Don’t be fooled. In the fall there is no point in bringing in a professional, the hornets are already dead and the nest is abandoned.”

Faced with the Asian hornet installed in private homes, the entomologist urges people not to take risks: “Call in the professionals. Allergies can occur from the first bite. You don’t improvise as an eradication specialist.”

Valentin Coquéau is a beekeeper and he also offers to get rid of insect nests with his company GFD Dijon. He details the two types of traps he uses himself in his apiaries:

• “The selective trap makes it possible to imprison a hornet in a box with two mesh cones. Attracted by attractants, the hornets will enter and will not be able to leave. Wasps and bees are smaller and will be able to flee. European hornets are too big and will not be able to enter.”

• “The classic trap consists of cutting up bottles and placing hornet attractants in them, but which do not interest bees, such as white wine or beer. But on the other hand, the European hornet can be a collateral victim.”

In addition to the trap, it is also possible to destroy the nests with a telescopic pole which allows you to inject poison directly into the lair.

Valentin Coquéau has 4 apiaries in Côte-d’Or with several dozen hives each. In 2022, it lost 7 out of 30 hives to Asian hornet raids. Since then, he has resorted to many traps, which are quite expensive.

“By losing seven hives, I am already at €2,000 in losses in equipment and investments. But with the defense devices, it rises to €3,000 with nearly €400 in traps and attractants.”

For a selective trap, more respectful of biodiversity, count between 30 and 50 € per unit. Not to mention the cost of the attractant that will attract the Hymenoptera.

Its European cousin suffers from an amalgam, but they are very different. The Asian hornet has a darker head and thorax, an orange ring on the abdomen and it does not exceed 3 centimeters. For its part, the local hornet looks more like a large wasp with its abdomen streaked with yellow, its overall lighter colors and its size which reaches 4 centimeters.

If the newcomer has only been here since 2004, his counterpart has always been there. Less aggressive, it does not hunt in groups unlike the Asian hornet. On the other hand, it can act at night, but can stay in hover for less time.

“The European hornet is useful for biodiversity”argues Mathurin Carnet. “It attacks a parasite of hives: the false wax moth. It attacks very few bees.”

Arrived in France at the beginning of the 2000s, the Asian hornet has taken up residence almost everywhere in France, in a way that seems definitive.

Mathurin Carnet is categorical: “It’s too late to fight against its installation. The only effective thing to do is to place traps near apiaries. But installing them everywhere means agreeing to trap other species such as the European hornet which is part of our ecosystem.”

If it is too late to fight against the installation of this species in Burgundy, nature will regulate itself according to the entomologist: “There are already parasites that are beginning to adapt to this species, whereas this was not the case before. Their number is not worrying and we must not forget that two queens of the same species can enter competing and eradicating themselves.”

So faced with the Asian hornet, you must above all adapt and not improvise yourself as an insect hunter. The best thing is to consult a professional who will be able to guide you.