Austria could be the latest country the Asian hornet has invaded, experts have warned.
The country’s Agency for Health and Food Security (AGES) urged beekeepers to remain vigilant after claims on social media that the predatory insect had recently been spotted at the Austrian-Hungarian border.
Asian hornets (Vespa velutina), which eat large amounts of various insects, have spread across vast parts of Europe after first being spotted in France in 2004.
The Czech Republic, which shares a border with Austria, is the latest state where environmental authorities confirmed a sighting of the insect. In Germany, which is another country that borders Austria, beekeepers have for many years deplored the loss of colonies due to Asian hornet assaults.
Experts at AGES have announced anyone in charge of a hive near the Austrian-Hungarian border should inspect the pollinators’ activity for 20 minutes on a regular basis. This measure should help to determine whether the colonies are currently threatened by the invasive species.
In their statement, the AGES officials say potential Asian hornet sightings should immediately be reported to the Federal Office for Food Security and the respective provincial government.
Hemma Köglberger, who heads the AGES Lab for Bee Diseases, added: “Please do not catch or kill any animals. Mixups with domestic species are possible.”
She emphasised: “The Asian hornet may spread all over Europe. It is probably just a matter of time before it reaches Austria.”
The species, which is understood to benefit from the rise of average temperatures, presumably arrived in Europe in a cargo shipping. Considered an invasive insect type by the European Union, Asian hornets must not be kept, bred or offered for sale.
Thomas Hock, who heads the Beekeepers Union in the southwestern German State of Rhineland-Palatinate, recently suggested the use of drones when it comes to tracing and eradicating Asian hornet nests.
He warned: “Asian hornets have flying skills comparable to those of dragonflies. Some apiarists have lost all of their colonies.”
