They’re coming for you: the Asian giant hornet has landed in the Netherlands and is found “almost everywhere” in the country.
They’re relatively dangerous, according to NU.nl. Relatively. Yeah, that’s not a risk we’re willing to take. 😅
Hornet sightings across the country
Dutchies spotted Asian hornets in Drenthe and Gelderland, towards the northeast of the Netherlands, on May 4 and again on May 21.
But this isn’t their first rodeo. Asian hornets were first spotted in the Netherlands back in 2017 — but all the way in the southwest of the Netherlands in Zeeland. Oh nee!
READ MORE | Well, this stings — Asian hornet spotted in the Netherlands
However, hornets are yet to be seen in either Groningen or Friesland. Are you thinking what we’re thinking? Quick, let’s all move there immediately.
Killer bees
The Asian hornet is an apex predator, at the top of the winged food chain. Often nicknamed “murder hornets”, they “brutally attack” and kill other bees, including honey and bumblebees, destroying “entire honeybee colonies in hours”. Eek!
This whole affair leaves the honeybees literally screaming. They rub their wings together to make a shrieking noise that serves as a cry for help. Just when we thought the scene couldn’t get any more terrifying.
These little rascals are on the European Union’s list of “invasive alien species”, and the EU is desperate to hunt down and destroy all hornet nests before they reproduce any further.
Dit soort primaire nestjes moet je in het oog houden rond deze tijd (meestal onder afdakje, tuinhuisje, …). Signaleer het even bij een plaatselijke imkersvereniging als je er een ziet. Dit soort nest van Aziatische hoornaar nu, wordt in de zomer een groot nest op 20m hoog. pic.twitter.com/qMHRf411V1
— De Visser 🐟 (@Ikhounietvanvis) May 22, 2023
Translation: You should keep an eye on these types of primary nests around this time (usually under a shelter, garden shed, …). Report it to a local beekeepers association if you see one. This type of nest of Asian hornet now becomes a large nest at 20m high.
Keep an eye out
If you’re casually cleaning your bird box (although we suspect most people under the age of 30 don’t own one), cavity wall, porch, or barn, and happen to stumble upon an angry nest of vicious hornets, don’t panic. 🙂
Just report your findings to Waarneming.nl and alert your local beekeepers! Let’s hope the internet from your barn in Gelderland isn’t too dodgy.
Pro tip: if you spot the hornet queen, apparently, the best way to kill her is by turning her into an ice queen — catch her and stick her in the freezer. (Easier said than done, we know).
Have you seen any Asian hornets before? Share your experience in the comments below.
Good luck trying to halt the army. If they have nests in forests, then I doubt that they will be eradicated. Especially when 1 queen can produce 60 queens, then they fly off and start their own nests.
There is, especially for beekeepers, a small way to stop those hornets.
Already in their “home country” Japan, they use sticky RAT TRAPS in front of the beehive.
The bees, miraculously, don’t use the rat trap to land on, but the Hornets seem to not understand to avoid it, and get trapped in the sticky substance that can even hold a RAT at bay.
Second advantage, if a hornet gets trapped, it releases a pheromone that warns other hornets to help that trapped hornet, result, they get trapped too.
If you are able to have those traps all time around you might be able to save the bees of a hive