This invader is eating our bees
The Bee Health Service hopes to get community support in its search for the Asian hornet. She has lived in Switzerland since 2017 and in the Basel region since last year.
It is not particularly dangerous for humans, but bees are on the list of Asian hornets.
Photo: Cyril Russo
In the late summer of 2022, beekeepers in Münchenstein noticed Asian hornets for the first time. Their nest was close to a beehive. The Asian hornet feeds up to 85 percent on honey and wild bees. They are their favorite prey from summer until late fall. In the worst case scenario, entire bee colonies are eaten.
In Münchenstein a bee health service is running. Using radio telemetry, the hornet’s nest was located and promptly removed. After the arrival of the Asian hornet in western Switzerland in 2017, it was also seen in the Aargau communities of Möhlen and Obrempf and in Parchwil in Solothurn. It is about three centimeters long.
Spread prevention
The Asian hornet should not spread further. In order to prevent their spread, it is important to realize as early as possible that they are building their nests. The nests are pear-shaped, about 80 cm high and 60 cm wide. In the spring, the queens build small front nests. Nests are preferably built on trees over ten meters high, but they can also be found in hedges or in buildings.
The Bee Health Service requests that suspicious wasps or nests be photographed and sent to [email protected]. The place and date of viewing should be noted. Dead wasps can be sent to the Bee Health Service by priority mail in a cardboard box. The address is Schwarzenburgstrasse 161, 3003 Bern. The danger that Asian hornets pose to humans is comparable to that of domestic hornets and hornets.
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