Swarm of ‘murder hornets’ discovered in Europe for the first time - as scramble to track down nest begins
5 December 2024, 16:03 | Updated: 8 December 2024, 10:06
An invasive species of “murder hornets” has been discovered in Europe for the first time.
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Researchers in northern Spain are scrambling to find nests after southern giant hornets were discovered in the region.
They have been dubbed “murder hornets” as they kill off beehives.
Two separate sightings of the species have been made in the northern city of Siero since 2022, a study in the journal Ecology and Evolution found.
One pair was spotted in March 2022, while another two sightings were made in October 2023.
No southern giant hornets have since been found in Europe beyond the four documented in Spain. They are native to various countries in Asia, including India, China, Thailand and Vietnam.
They grow on average to a two cm in length and are known for sending out hunting teams to search for prey colonies
The hunters rub their bodies against hives or nearby vegetation, sending out a signal so more hornets can join them.
They then enter a "slaughter phase" involving the elimination of entire beehives in just hours.
While no further sightings of murder hornets have occurred, the invasive Asian hornets are proving problematic.
Omar Sanchez, lead study author and a zoology professor at the University of Oviedo. said : “Here in northern Spain, we have another species of Asian hornets that is called Vespa Veluntina, and it’s causing serious damages to the beekeeping sector, so the presence of another Asian hornet can magnify the bad affects.”
In September, invasive Asian hornets were also found on the island of Jersey. They are dark brown in colour and bear a yellow/orange band.
The species first arrived in Europe in 2004, expected to have accidentally been brought over with goods imported from east Asia.
European hornets are native to the continent and unlike “murder hornets”, rarely display aggression unless their nest is approached or their colony is threatened.
