Experts fit Asian hornets with transmitters to locate nest in Tyrol

Experts are fitting Asian hornets with transmitters in Kössen, in the Kitzbühel district, to track them back to their nest, ORF reported on Friday.

Experts from the Tyrol regional authorities and local beekeepers have been searching for the nest for four days to prevent the species from spreading. Reinforcements arrived from Vorarlberg on Friday to help capture and tag the hornets.

The technique is being used in Austria for the first time, said Andreas Tschöll, head of the Tyrol Official Plant Protection Service. An antenna is used to follow the flight of a tagged hornet.

The first attempt failed because the transmitter was apparently too large or too heavy, preventing the hornet from flying. The experts now plan to capture another hornet capable of carrying it.

Tschöll said numerous false reports of Asian hornet sightings had been received in recent days. The species has a black body, a broad orange band on its abdomen and yellow legs. It spreads extremely quickly, feeds on insects and honeybees, and poses a threat to native biodiversity.