Dhe introduced Asian hornet spread rapidly in the southwest last year and, from an expert perspective, the current year does not bode well. The animal, which destroys honey bees but also targets other insects, is now very well represented in Baden-Württemberg, said Benjamin Waldmann, consultant for invasive species at the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of the Environment. The mild winter and the continued mild weather without permanent frost this spring are likely to result in this species of hornet proliferating again over the course of the year.
This is a big concern for conservationists. According to information from the Ministry of the Environment, 550 nests were found in Baden-Württemberg last year – a twenty-fold increase compared to the previous year. Nobody knows how high the number of unreported cases is. The Baden Beekeepers Association assumes four times the number of nests discovered in 2023 and expects that up to 1,000 nests will be found over the course of this year. The young queens are just beginning to fly out and build their first nests.
“It is impossible to predict how this rapidly spreading species will affect our native insect world,” said bee expert from the Nabu Baden-Württemberg regional association, Martin Klatt. There is no research into how the Asian hornet relates to the native and protected European hornet, nor how the prey of other insects affects it. Although the Asian hornet prefers to hunt honey bees, it also eats flies, beetles and wild bees.
Concerns about the rapid spread of the Asian hornet
A large nest with a thousand or more Asian hornets consumes significantly more than eleven kilos of insects per year, said Kristin Krewenka from the Baden Beekeepers Association. Asian hornets also like to bite into fruit. According to Nabu, the stings are no more dangerous for humans than those of native wasp species.
It is unclear what damage this hornet could cause beyond the feared loss of insect species. “So far, the authorities have no official information about the damage and its extent in beekeeping and fruit and wine growing in Baden-Württemberg,” said a spokeswoman for the Ministry of the Environment. Damage to native species has not yet been documented. However, there are studies from other European countries that suggest such effects.
What to do about the introduced species? Like other affected federal states, Baden-Württemberg relies on a reporting portal. Sightings of individual Asian hornets and also the animals' nests can be displayed there. “This reporting platform is very important,” emphasized Klatt. If a nest is reported there, the beekeeping association receives a message and then sends experts to remove the nest.
In addition to reporting sightings, Baden-Württemberg also tracked Asian hornets as part of a pilot project between 2021 and 2023: animals were equipped with tiny tracking devices that were supposed to lead to nests. That worked, as Waldmann reported.
However, this approach is no longer being pursued. That is too expensive and the transmitters are too susceptible to interference. “There were a lot of failures, especially last year,” he said. This only makes sense for individual sightings. However, there are now so many reported nests that the tracking device method is no longer effective. It is completely unrealistic that the Asian hornet will ever disappear from Germany again. “The drops sucked,” says Waldmann. “All we can do is limit it.”
The Asian hornet (Vespa velutina) should not be confused with the Asian giant hornet (Vespa mandarinia). The latter is spreading in the USA, for example. The species does not occur in Germany.
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