Asian hornet recently spotted in northern Netherlands

The Asian hornet is advancing in the northern part of the Netherlands, according to Stop Invasieve Exoten, a platform tracking the presence of invasive species in the country. The Asian hornet is harmful to honey bees, wild bees and other insects. The organization deduced the hornet is advancing in a northerly direction from reports submitted via Waarneming.nl.

Groningen and Friesland are now the only remaining provinces where it has not knowingly been seen. However, not far from there in Hooghalen, Drenthe, a nest-building queen was found on May 21.

A queen was also found in Winterswijk, Gelderland on the same day, and one had already been seen in Lunteren on May 4. A sighting of a queen was received from Odijk, Utrecht on May 29.

Reports have also been submitted from other provinces. In the south, the hornet has been seen for a longer time, and more frequently. There have been 15 confirmed reports of queens this year from people based in Limburg. About forty finds of queens have been reported in Noord-Brabant this year. The first discovery of the Asian hornet in the Netherlands was made in 2017 in Dreischor, Zeeland.

"To prevent this harmful invasive exotic species from spreading even further in the Netherlands as much as possible, it is important that the nests are quickly traced and destroyed. Citizens play an essential role in this, because without observations the provinces, which are responsible for the approach, cannot , do not take action," says Wilfred Reinhold, the platform’s chair.

The large, dark Asian hornet workers are more common this time of year, and can be identified by an abdomen that is almost entirely black, a small, yellow-orange spot at the tip, and yellow-tipped legs. Anyone who spots one should either try to take a photo of it or catch it, and file a report on Waarneming.nl, the platform said.

If caught, they can be fitted with a transmitter that can help researchers locate the nest. Because of this, the platform asked people not to kill the hornets when they are observed.

The hornets are not to be confused with the Asian giant hornets, sometimes referred to as “murder hornets.” They are predatory and also very large, with stingers long enough to penetrate protective clothing.