There have been 24 verified sightings of Asian hornets in Cork and Dublin, with two nests found, the latest update from the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) shows.
A biosecurity alert was declared in August after the first Asian hornet was captured in Cork city. The latest confirmed single sighting was on September 4th with a nest located on September 5th.
The hornet is bigger than a common wasp, and has far less yellow in its body colouring.
The first hornet nest was located in a private garden on the south side of Cork city on August 27th and was safely removed on September 5th. A second, significantly smaller nest, was found in Cobh on September 5th, about 10km from the site of the first nest. This nest was removed on September 9th and brought to the National Museum for further testing.
READ MORE
In July an Asian hornet was photographed in Inchicore in Dublin. This hornet was subsequently reported in August, the Invasive Alien Species website shows, which is officially tracking all confirmed sightings and nests.
[ How to recognise an Asian hornet and what to do if you see oneOpens in new window ]
Traps have been in place since the first sighting was recorded, covering a radius of about 250m from the location of the sighting. These traps have consistently returned wasps and not hornets, the Department of Housing has stated. “This would indicate that while the traps work, there are no hornets in the vicinity. It looks increasingly like the Dublin sighting is a blow-in, however the traps will continue to be monitored and NPWS will respond if required.”
NPWS rangers, experts from the National Biodiversity Data Centre, the National Museum of Ireland and local beekeepers have been working since August to track hornets in the Republic.
A taskforce of Government departments and expert bodies was also set up to determine whether there was evidence of a larger hornet population. The Asian Hornet Management Group is following international evidence and best practice in this area and is actively engaging with beekeepers’ associations, said the Department of Housing.
The NPWS has also set up an agreement with the University of Galway and Irish Pest Control Association to develop a rapid deployment model for future sightings, it said.
Aside from the 24 verified sightings to date, the group is “not aware of any other active Asian hornet nests at this time but are remaining vigilant and encouraging reporting of suspect sightings”.
The invasive species poses a “significant threat” to Ireland’s biodiversity and a single nest of Asian hornets can “devastate” honeybee populations, according to the NPWS. However, they do not pose a significant public health risk.
Members of the public have been asked to report any sightings of Asian hornets, along with a photograph, to the National Biodiversity Data Centre. Photographic evidence is key, given only 1 per cent of submitted records to date were found to be Asian hornets, said the department.
Updates on the number of confirmed Asian hornet and nest sightings can be found here.
