Asian hornet

First found in France in the early 2000s, the yellow-legged Asian hornet is now established across most of the country and in several other European countries. It is an opportunistic predator: honey bees make up a large share of its diet, especially late in the season¹.

Identification

• Dark brown-black thorax, without the reddish markings of the European hornet.
• Dark abdomen with a single broad orange band on the fourth segment.
• Yellow leg tips, which give it its name.
• Slightly smaller than the European hornet (Vespa crabro), which is reddish and yellow and does not hover in front of hives to hunt.

Yearly cycle

1. February to April: founding queens emerge from hibernation and build a small primary nest on their own, often in a sheltered spot (garden shed, hedge, eaves).
2. May to June: the first workers emerge. The colony often moves to a larger secondary nest, frequently high in trees and invisible until the leaves fall.
3. July to November: the population explodes and hunting pressure on apiaries peaks.
4. Autumn: the nest produces males and future queens. After mating, only the young fertilised queens overwinter; the nest is abandoned and never reused.

Impact on colonies

Hornets hover in front of the entrance and catch returning foragers. The main damage is often not the number of bees killed but foraging paralysis: the colony stops flying, eats into its stores, rears less brood and goes into winter weakened, with too few winter bees.

Nucs, mating nucs and weak colonies are the most vulnerable; a nuc can be emptied in a few days.

Protecting the apiary

No single method is enough. Several approaches are usually combined.

Reduce entrances and fit entrance guards (mesh in front of the landing board): bees keep flying, and hornets can no longer hunt right at the entrance.

Strengthen colonies: a populous colony defends its entrance better. In heavily exposed areas, unite weak colonies before the end of summer.

Use mechanical killing devices such as electric harps, which kill hornets in flight in front of the apiary. They work well in heavily exposed apiaries but need installing and monitoring.

Trap selectively: in spring near apiaries to catch founding queens, and during the season in front of apiaries under attack. Non-selective trapping, which catches many other insects, is not recommended³.

Have nests destroyed: preferably before autumn, before future queens are produced. Nests high up must be removed by a professional. Report nests to your local authority or national reporting scheme.

Regulatory framework

Since 2016 the Asian hornet has been on the EU list of invasive alien species of Union concern².

In France, a law of 14 March 2025 provides for national and departmental control plans; its implementing decree was published in late December 2025³. The national plan, published in September 2026, classifies departments by level of exposure and organises control at departmental level⁴.

Elsewhere in the world

The Asian hornet has also been reported in Spain, Portugal, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and the United Kingdom, as well as in South Korea and Japan, where it is also invasive. Reporting and nest-destruction rules vary from country to country: in the UK, for example, every sighting must be reported to the authorities.

References

1. Monceau K., Bonnard O., Thiéry D. (2014). Vespa velutina: a new invasive predator of honeybees in Europe. Journal of Pest Science 87: 1-16. doi.org
2. Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2016/1141 adopting a list of invasive alien species of Union concern. eur-lex.europa.eu
3. France: Law no. 2025-237 of 14 March 2025 on curbing the spread of the yellow-legged hornet; Decree no. 2025-1377 of 29 December 2025 (in French). assemblee-nationale.fr
4. France: National plan to control the yellow-legged hornet (annex to the September 2026 order, in French). aida.ineris.fr

Updated : October 8, 2026
Written by : Apisanitas editorial team
Reviewed by : Review in progress