Environment In Vaud, the civil defense fights the Asian hornet

The canton of Vaud is stepping up its fight against the Asian hornet. For the first time in Switzerland, civil protection has been deployed to contain the spread of this invasive insect species. With success: around 80 nests were destroyed this summer.

In August and September, a total of 35 civil defense members were deployed in several operations against the Asian hornet, as the canton of Vaud announced on Friday. They supported a team of specialists led by Daniel Cherix, honorary professor at the University of Lausanne.

Among other things, the emergency services carried out two night-time drone flights for a thermal survey of nests. They also fitted several hornets with chips in order to carry out measurements to identify the location of the nests more precisely.

Danger for native insects

According to the authorities, the spread of the Asian hornet is problematic. They mainly hunt native honey bees, wild bees and wasps to feed their larvae. If the Asian hornet spreads widely in an area, it can lead to noticeable losses in bee colonies.

Both the European and the Asian hornet are largely harmless to humans. Only in very rare exceptional cases can the stings of both hornet species trigger allergic reactions.