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Ireland's National Parks and Wildlife Service is employing state-of-the-art transmitter technology to detect and destroy Asian hornet nests near Cork harbour following the discovery of two invasive insects, aiming to protect native honeybee populations.
Latest transmitter technology is being employed to find and remove Asian hornet nests from an area around Cork harbour. The National Parks and Wildlife Service operation comes after the discovery of two of the insects, which pose a significant threat to native Irish honeybees.
Minister for Nature, Heritage and Biodiversity Christopher O’Sullivan , said efforts had been escalated following the successful capture of a second Asian hornet in Ringaskiddy, close to the area where a member of the public had photographed another one last week .
“Since the National Biodiversity Data Centre confirmed the initial sighting of an Asian hornet in Ringaskiddy, NPWS has mounted an intensive surveillance and monitoring operation in the area,” O’Sullivan said in a statement. “The discovery of a second hornet yesterday is a significant development and suggests a nest may be nearby.
Our response has now moved into a critical new phase, with specialist bait stations being deployed to track and trace any further hornet activity and pinpoint the nest location as quickly as possible. ” O’Sullivan said conservation rangers were using the latest transmitter technology to follow the movements of individual hornets back to their nest. The use of such technology has been successful in other countries, including the UK.
O’Sullivan said it gave the best possible chance of locating the nest before the species can establish itself where they would pose a significant risk to native Irish honeybee populations.
“We know from our successful response to last year’s incursion that early detection and rapid intervention are absolutely critical. Using the latest science, technology and expertise, we are moving swiftly and decisively to protect Ireland’s biodiversity and our native pollinators from this invasive species,” he said on Thursday.
“I want to thank members of the public whose vigilance helped to bring this issue to our attention. Public awareness remains one of our strongest defences. I would encourage anyone who believes they may have seen an Asian hornet to report it immediately through the website www.invasives.ie . ” The Asian hornet, which is native to China, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Indonesia, is an aggressive predator to many types of insect.
On average, 30 per cent of its diet is made up of honeybees and is thus a major threat to Ireland’s biodiversity, pollinating insects, and beekeeping activities. The first confirmed sighting of an Asian hornet in Ireland was at a private dwelling on Dublin’s northside in 2021 but in August 2025, the first active nest was confirmed and safely removed from a property in the Douglas area of Cork City.
Asian Hornet Cork Harbour National Parks And Wildlife Service Invasive Species Biodiversity
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