Tyrol team races to find Asian hornet nest

A group of beekeepers and officials in Kössen, in the Kitzbühel district, is continuing its urgent search for a nest of the yellow-footed Asian hornet, ORF reported. The aim is to find it before the insects reproduce in autumn. Kössen was the first place in Tyrol where an Asian hornet was confirmed.

Five to 10 Asian hornets have been spotted in Kössen so far. The search team has been looking for the nest since Tuesday and has narrowed the suspected location to a radius of about 100 metres, said Andreas Tschöll, head of Tyrol’s official plant protection service.

The team captures and marks individual hornets, then measures how long they take to return. This helps estimate the distance to the nest, while the insects’ direction of flight is followed visually, Tschöll said.

The search is urgent because the colony produces males and young queens in September and October. Several hundred young queens could overwinter, reproduce and establish new colonies.

Thorsten Schwerte, head of the Institute of Zoology at the University of Innsbruck, also stressed the importance of finding the nest now. If the nest, or additional nests, are found, Austria could possibly prevent the spread for another year, he said. The situation in Germany and France is already much worse, with large numbers of nests making control efforts extremely difficult.

Asian hornet colonies are larger than those of the native hornet and produce more individuals. They can contain thousands of insects that must be fed throughout the season. Honeybees are a major food source, although the invasive species also hunts other insects. Studies have identified up to 1,500 different animal species among its prey, with the honeybee the most common individual species, Schwerte said.

The University of Innsbruck is testing traps designed specifically for the Asian hornet. Schwerte advised against using large, non-specific traps because they can catch too many other insects.

The Land of Tyrol advises people to keep their distance from the insects and their nests, avoid sudden movements or vibrations nearby, and never attempt to remove a nest themselves. Hornet traps and wasp spray should not be used because they can trigger uncontrolled reactions.

Asian hornet sightings can be reported to the Land of Tyrol by email at [email protected], through the Velutina portal or directly to the local municipality.