A Government response is underway after an Asian Hornet was sighted and subsequently captured in Co. Cork, an insect described as a “significant threat to biodiversity in Ireland”.
The National Parks and Wildlife Service today confirmed the recent sighting and capture of the Asian Hornet in the Cork area, a development marking a “biosecurity alert” for Ireland.
A spokesperson for the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage said that a single Asian Hornet nest can “devastate honeybee populations”.
A new taskforce has been established – The Asian Hornet Management Group (AHMG) – which is to be chaired by the National Parks and Wildlife Service and includes the Department of Agriculture Food and the Marine, the National Biodiversity Data Centre and the National Museum of Ireland.
It is to gather further information and monitor the situation over the coming weeks.
Speaking about the incident, Minister of State for Nature, Heritage and Biodiversity, Christopher O’Sullivan TD said that Asian Hornets are a “threat to our native pollinators and our biodiversity”.
“We must take even a single sighting very seriously,” he said, adding that the incident demonstrated that “members of the public are our eyes on the ground”.
“Early detection is key if we are to prevent the establishment of this invasive species. I urge everyone to be vigilant and inform themselves so that they can recognise and report any sightings of the Asian Hornet to help us contain this invasive species and protect our biodiversity,” Minister O’Sullivan said.
The sighting was reported to Ireland’s National Biodiversity Data Centre website by a member of the public, who included a photograph in their submission.
It was subsequently confirmed as an Asian Hornet by entomologists at both the National Museum of Ireland and NPWS, following which a survey team was deployed to the region.
“No evidence of a hornet nest or any other hornet activity was initially observed, however subsequent surveillance led to the trapping of an Asian Hornet on 12th August,” the spokesperson said, adding, “extensive monitoring will continue over the coming weeks to determine if this is one individual or if there is evidence of a larger population”.
The recent sighting is the second verified identification of an Asian Hornet in Ireland, the first involving a single individual hornet from Dublin area during 2021, which was not associated with a wild viable population.
The Asian Hornet was first noted in Europe in France in 2004, and is believed to have been imported in a consignment of pottery from China.
The invasive species has now become established in several EU countries.
There are ongoing control efforts in the UK to prevent the Asian Hornet from establishing there, while a population has also been recorded in the United States.
Members of the public are being asked to report any suspected sightings through the National Biodiversity Data Centre’s reporting portal, including a photograph if possible.