Information sessions, trap distribution, media coverage… There’s a flurry of activity among beekeepers and local authorities. With the onset of spring and warmer temperatures, queens of the yellow-legged hornets (or Asian hornets) emerge from hibernation. Consequently, both urban and rural areas are organizing to combat Vespa velutina, which was unintentionally introduced to France over 20 years ago.

“The recommended period for setting traps runs from February 15 to May 15, as the peak of the queen population occurs around mid-April,” explains Sophie Memeteau, a vet and project manager at the Health Defense Group (GDS) network in France. During this time, the queens build their initial, relatively small nests to lay the larvae of the first workers. From June onwards, the colony moves to construct the secondary nest, which is larger and typically located at the top of trees.

Asian hornets are responsible for about 20% of domestic bee mortality, resulting in annual losses estimated at around 12 million euros for the apiculture sector. Consequently, many beekeepers, as well as individuals and local authorities concerned about summer invasions or potential attacks, see springtime trapping of female reproducers as essential. However, “trapping should not be done just anywhere or in any manner, as it could be counterproductive,” Memeteau emphasizes. “The hornet is here to stay; we know it can’t be eradicated. Now, we must trap them during the most effective period.”

Three models are recommended within the framework of an initiative launched in 2024 by the GDS France and Fredon France networks: the and the . “We know they are not 100% selective, but these are the most selective we know of to date,” says Memeteau, who oversees this voluntary national plan. This plan mandates the use of traps with entry cones, “with a separation between the bait and the capture area to retain the queens and workers while allowing the maximum number of non-target species to escape.” It also prohibits the use of homemade bottle-type traps and recommends trapping for no longer than two months to minimize impact on other insects.

However, the dissemination of information is still challenging, laments Memeteau: “Many initiatives are taken here and there. Just recently, in a report on TF1, the use of bottle traps or bell traps was shown in a rather positive light. Indeed, they are very simple to make and inexpensive, but they cause considerable damage to the entomofauna.” The expert also notes that combating the hornet has become a lucrative market, with numerous vendors approaching municipalities and other local authorities.

It notably establishes a national plan, to be implemented at the departmental level, to better coordinate efforts. “It would be logical for it to adopt the plan already in place by GDS France and Fredon France, but we now have to wait for the implementing decree,” Memeteau states. “The advantage of the law is that it will provide a framework. Because our national plan is not regulatory. We communicate a lot of very practical recommendations, we do a lot, but a law will solidify things much more. For local authorities, it will also be more reassuring.”

The apiculture sector has welcomed the legislation. “This text fills a legislative void that has left beekeepers alone in facing this crisis, the costs of which were becoming exponential for both the apicultural world and local authorities,” noted Christian Pons, president of the French National Beekeeping Union (Unaf).

For the first time, the law provides for compensation for losses of attacked apiaries — for apicultural operators only. It also includes funding for public information and scientific research.

During the debates, several deputies regretted that the text did not explicitly require the prioritization of environmentally friendly techniques for combating the hornet, such as backpack vacuums for nest destruction or the installation of electric harps to protect the entrances of beehives. Their amendments were rejected.