How to recognize the Asian hornet?
In fact, there are mainly 3 types of hornets in our regions, they are +/- the same size 18 to 25 mm for the workers, and 25 to 35 mm for the queens.
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The European hornet , yellow to reddish and black in color, is by far the nicest. It is a carnivore, like other hornets, but it rarely attacks bees. Its diet is rather made up of grasshoppers, butterflies, caterpillars, wasps. It is much less aggressive than the Asian hornet. Its swarm is brown in color, the entrance is quite wide, and it is placed in the lower part of the swarm. The European hornet is not an acrobat, its flight is quite heavy, and noisy.
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The oriental hornet is less colorful and less downy, practically hairless. It is found mainly in Mediterranean countries, with a small breakthrough in the Marseille region.
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Asian hornet , the terror of bees, the worst of all. Distinguishing features: it has yellow legs, its abdomen is circled in black and yellow, it has a very precise flight and knows how to hover, especially in front of hives, and as soon as a bee enters or leaves, it grabs it and kills it in flight. The entrance to its swarm is quite small, and it is located on the side.
Swarms of hornets
Usually located in trees, more than 10 meters high. But they can be found in bushes, buildings, and even in the ground. They are recognized by their mass, 60 to 80 cm, and by the activity of insects near them.
If you see any, Do not hesitate to report them to the INPN which is mapping the insect's progress.
Your report must be accompanied by a photo and/or a dead insect to be sent by post to Quentin Rome Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle Entomologie CP50 45 rue Buffon 75005 Paris.
The INPN has produced a very well-made identification sheet for hornets and their nests.
The floor is given to the defense:
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The defense informs us that the court-appointed lawyer was savagely beaten and is not in a condition to defend his clients.
The floor is given to the prosecution:
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The Asian hornet and the Oriental hornet are bee killers . They need these proteins to feed their larvae. They are capable of killing all the bees and larvae in a hive in a few hours. Since the bees were already very weakened by phytosanitary treatments, they did not need this additional scourge.
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The multiplication of swarms , in places as varied as they are unexpected, represents an obvious danger.
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These accidentally imported insects have no predators in our biotope. The Asian hornet was imported into Lot-et-Garonne in 2004 with a shipment of flower pots from Asia. In 2021, it is installed throughout France, and has begun to colonize Germany, Spain, and England.
The decision is clear: if we want to save the bees, we must eliminate the Asian and Oriental hornets.
How to destroy them
The two means of control are trapping and the destruction of swarms .
In my article “ HOW TO GET RID OF ASIAN OR ORIENTAL WASPS AND HORNETS SWARMS AND NESTS ”, I explain how to destroy nests and swarms.