The National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage has confirmed a recent sighting and subsequent capture of an Asian Hornet (Vespa velutina) in the Cork area. This is the second confirmed record of Asian hornet in Ireland, with the first specimen recorded in May 2021. NPWS will continue its extensive monitoring over the coming weeks to determine if this is one individual or if there is evidence of a larger population.
See the NPWS press release for further details.
The Asian hornet is a highly effective predator of honeybees, wasps and other important pollinators, such as hoverflies. The huge size of its colonies (consisting of up to 10,000 individuals per season) means that they can rapidly decimate bee numbers.
Due to its aggressive nature and feeding habits, it could have a serious impact on native insect biodiversity and on pollination services in general.
Given that queen hornets are highly mobile and very adaptable, there is a strong risk that the species, if established, will be able to spread rapidly across the landscape, causing significant economic and ecological damage.
At this time of year, the population within a nest increases and the queen and workers relocate to a new location, forming a secondary nest. Predation by the Asian hornet on other insects would be noticeable.
In preparation for the possible arrival of Asian hornet to Northern Ireland, and to allow for a rapid and proactive response to any confirmed sightings, the Department published the Northern Ireland Rapid Response Contingency Plan for Asian Hornet in 2020. This plan is currently under review with the aim of updating it, along with the Invasive Alien Species Strategy for Northern Ireland.
If you suspect you have seen an Asian hornet in Northern Ireland, please submit your suspected sightings (with a photograph, if possible) via:
Or
If you are a beekeeper living in Northern Ireland, you can register your apiary here – it will assist us in circulating information quickly to beekeepers if you are already registered at the time of an invasion.
Beekeepers should remain vigilant, spending a small amount of time at each apiary visit observing the entrance of their hives and the surrounding flora to check for possible Asian hornet activity. While live trapping can assist with detection and can act as a useful management tool, we would only encourage this to be used by beekeepers in the vicinity of a sighting. Trapping can result in the unwarranted killing of non-target native species. For this reason, if trapping is required, we would only encourage the use of traps that prevent by-catch. The National Bee Unit in Great Britain provides guidance on suitable monitoring traps (see page 2 of their document).
