“New Reporting Platform Launched in Baden-Württemberg to Combat Spread of Asian Hornets”

Baden-Württemberg launches a reporting platform for the Asian hornet. The invasive species was first detected in the southwest in 2014, the Ministry of the Environment announced in Stuttgart on Wednesday. It keeps spreading. The animal with the Latin name Vespa velutina is slightly smaller than the native hornet. The Asian hornet can be recognized by its basic black colour: The breast is black, the abdomen is dark with a few yellow bands. The legs are colored black and yellow.

The new reporting platform aims to provide more detailed information about the distribution of the animals in the country. The aim is to curb the spread.

This is what Asian hornets look like

Asian hornets are slightly smaller than native hornets, but their colonies can number thousands. More than 15 nests were counted in Baden-Württemberg in 2022, said Benjamin Waldmann, consultant for invasive species at the Baden-Württemberg State Ministry for the Environment, in March. “But we assume that the number of unreported cases is high.” The balloon-shaped nests are difficult to find, they are often hidden in treetops.

If a nest is found at a great height, a fire brigade turntable ladder is used, the speaker went on to explain. The opening of the nest is closed with a foam extinguisher, then the corresponding branch is sawn off. The nest is then placed in a box and frozen. The hornets die from the cold.