Experts find Munich’s first Asian hornet nest near Oktoberfest

Experts have found Munich’s first Asian hornet nest in a building near the Theresienwiese, the Oktoberfest grounds, BR reported. They tracked the hornets using tiny transmitters after sightings increased around the festival site.

Beekeepers and staff from Upper Bavaria’s beekeeping advisory service found the nest on October 8. They lured the hornets with a sweet liquid and fitted two of them with tracking devices, which led them to the building southeast of the Theresienwiese.

Several hornets had been reported around the grounds before and during Oktoberfest, with sightings increasing south and southeast of the venue in September and early October. One was spotted on a lemonade tap at a beer tent after the festival’s closing celebration.

Removing the nest is considered urgent because young queens develop in autumn, overwinter and can establish new colonies in spring. Asian hornets feed on honeybees and can weaken colonies. They may also affect other native insects and damage ripe fruit and grapes.

The property management hired a specialist company to remove the Munich nest, with the owners’ association covering the cost. Bavaria has had no general requirement to remove nests since 2025. The state offers beekeepers grants of 200 to 400 euros to help find or remove them.

The Asian hornet was first detected in Bavaria in 2022, in Lower Franconia. Upper Bavaria’s first sighting was in Schrobenhausen in autumn 2025. People who spot one are asked to submit a photo and the location at beewarned.de. The hornet has a mostly dark body, an orange band on its abdomen and conspicuously yellow legs.