Brussels starts its battle against Asian hornets

As the weather gets warmer, Asian hornets, an invasive species that threatens honey bees and other pollinators, become more common.

To stop the spread of this insect, Brussels Environment sets hornet traps for a seven-week period. The aim is to catch the queens to prevent them building new nests.

“It is currently impossible to eradicate the Asian hornet (Vespa velutina) in Belgium and Europe,” Brussels Environment said.

“However, we can try to limit the creation of new nests by trapping the founding queens in spring,” it added, with a peak of activity in April for the black, orange and yellow creatures.

“It is essential to limit the spread of these insects, already widely distributed across Europe. In the Brussels region alone, hundreds of nests have been reported in recent years.”

To avoid premature or prolonged trapping, which is ineffective and harmful to other species, trapping must be used “in a reasonable and controlled way,” the organisation added.

Notably, traps should be used selectively to minimise damage to other species such as butterflies and bees. This means designing the traps so that smaller insects can escape and larger ones, like the non-threatening European hornet are not harmed.

Approved trapping periods, that vary according to weather conditions, are designated by renature.brussels. In spring, the queens build nests in garden sheds, while in summer they create secondary nests in trees.

Brussels residents are encouraged to report nests via waarnemingen.be, or call Belgium’s emergency 112 number in urgent situations.

In July 2024, the Flemish Beekeeping Institute reported an increase of primary Asian hornet nests in Flanders compared to the same period in 2023. Similar rises were seen in Wallonia.

Brussels Environment recommends that anyone worried about the insects visits renature.brussels for more information.