He has yellow legs and an orange belly! He is the Asian hornet, different from the yellow-bellied European. For 20 years now, it has invaded North Franche-Comté and represents a real scourge for beekeepers. The species loves bees and insects of all kinds, to the point of endangering honey production. The APISUD Association, which brings together around sixty beekeepers from the Territoire de Belfort, has taken the problem head on by appointing representatives, and by launching a census of the Asian hornet among the municipalities of the department.
Hervé Blanchard
An absolute predator of bees
Landed twenty years ago from China (in pottery), the Asian hornet is today very well acclimatized in North Franche-Comté explains Etienne Chalamet, president of the beekeepers of the Territoire de Belfort “of the colleagues recovered 35 founding queens in the spring, and at Ballon d’Alsace, it’s a disaster, and each founding queen makes a nest of up to at least 4,000 hornets.” Not very aggressive towards humans, even if its sting can be fatal in certain cases, the Asian hornet mainly delights in bees. And there is carnage “as soon as he finds a pantry, he empties it, so if he comes across a hive, he “negotiates” it (sic), It sometimes goes up to 15 kilos of insects killed for a nest (count around 10 thousand bees per kilo)” alarms Thierry Brocard, the vice-president of the beekeepers of the Territoire de Belfort.
A regime of terror
And the Asian hornet has a bit of a sadistic side in “traumatizing the bees, they are stressed, they no longer dare to go out and as a result, they die inside the hive” adds the beekeeper. Result: more bees, more hives, more honey “it affects honey production, pollination, it will also put up with butterflies, grasshoppers, caterpillars, flies and even mosquitoes, and the birds in the region will have nothing left to eat.” deplores Thierry Brocard.
Hervé Blanchard
A vital census to destroy nests
The Asian hornet therefore threatens biodiversity and the activity of beekeepers who have already captured 300 queens this year in the region. They therefore decided to launch a census of the species among the municipalities, to better combat it. “we need a map of the presence of Asian hornets” says the vice-president of APISUD of Belfort “but for that, we need awareness from the public authorities, as there was in Brittany or in the south of France, to issue prefectural decrees, and therefore release money to destroy the nests before the fall, it is vital” concludes the beekeeper, still without a favorable response from the authorities in the Territoire de Belfort. Finally, know that if you have Asian hornets in your home, do not intervene, call a specialized company, and notify the beekeepers association to help them with their census.
