Asian hornets: French authorities launch resident trap campaigns

Authorities across France are stepping up efforts to help local residents trap Asian hornets in their gardens, in what is becoming a more frequent exercise each year.

Asian hornets (scientific name Vespa velutina) were first noticed in France in 2004, and are today found in almost all regions.

They are mostly black with a single yellow/orange band towards the top of their abdomen, yellow ‘socks’ and an orange face. They can be distinguished from their European counterparts by their smaller size.

While they tend not to attack humans directly unless they feel their nest is threatened, Asian hornets present a threat to bees, butterflies and wasps. They can also be dangerous to humans – especially those who are allergic to bee, wasp, and hornet stings – as they can cause severe reactions and, in rare cases, death.

Community campaigns

One community to have confirmed a new trap campaign this year is the Communauté d’agglomération Royan Atlantique (CARA) in Charente-Maritime.

Authorities in nine towns in the area are to begin distributing traps to residents who did not receive one in previous campaigns, as well as extra refill pods and bait. 

Traps and refills are available from the CARA headquarters every Friday morning from January 30 to the end of February. Residents need to present proof of ID and address to receive the items. Residents will also receive tips on how to increase catches and how to prevent the hornets’ arrival in the first place.

CARA has distributed more than 2,000 traps in the area since 2018, with all 33 of the area’s towns thought to be affected by the hornets.

Gennes-Val-de-Loire, in Pays de la Loire is another commune to mount a campaign this year. Authorities are holding two evening meetings on the subject in local community halls; one on January 27, and another on February 2. 

Local residents are invited to attend to receive a trap and tips on maximising catches.

“These traps have a grid that lets small insects measuring less than 7.5 millimetres pass through but traps larger ones, including hornets,” said Jean-Luc Denéchère, president of the departmental beekeeping association l’Association sanitaire apicole départementale du Maine-et-Loire (ASAD49), to local news website Actu La Rochelle.

“Bait is placed at the bottom to attract insects with a sweet smell,” he said. 

“We do not pay enough attention to what is happening in our own backyard. We give good advice at our public meetings, so it's important that people attend,” Mr Denéchère concluded.

Another area to have held a public meeting on the issue is Alès, in Gard (Occitanie). 

Gilbert Dumas, president of the bee health group le Groupement de défense sanitaire apicole (GDSA 30), was present at the meeting to demonstrate the correct use of the traps and answer residents’ questions on the best way to use them.

“A third of the mairies in the department have signed up in partnership with us to organise this campaign,” he told Midi Libre. “At the beginning, we mainly focused on destroying nests, but now we are realising that is not so effective to stop the spread. Now we are trying to trap them at the start, from spring.

“We have got a good network of traps across the commune now,” he said.

Brette-les-Pins, a commune in Sarthe (Pays de la Loire), is also distributing traps to residents, with anyone interested invited to contact the mairie by the end of January or early February. The small commune has 10 traps available for collection at a meeting that is expected to take place in early February.

Many more mairies and authorities are expected to be running similar campaigns; residents are advised to contact their local mairie to ask if any such programme exists, and/or for assistance in setting up traps and catching the insects effectively.

Trapping times

Experts say that the best way to combat Asian hornets is to attack the queens, both as soon as nests begin to appear in mid-February, and when the queens emerge in early spring. Hornet queens spend their winter in small holes in trees, fences or in the ground. 

As the weather gets warmer, they leave winter hideouts and quickly look to start a new colony. It is thought that one captured queen leads to a reduction of 20,000 fewer hornets at peak season.

Traps (of which there are several kinds) only catch queens up to April-May. After this, they should be removed to avoid them from accidentally trapping other insects that are important to wider biodiversity.

If you notice a nest near you, official advice from the non-profit organisation Fredon (government-appointed in 2024 to oversee the management of Asian hornet populations nationwide) is to call a local pest controller and have the nest destroyed professionally.