EU: MEPs demanded measures against Asian hornets

Published Jan 20, 2024

Tridge summary

The European Commission is increasingly discussing the issue of honey bees and the growing population of the Asian hornet, which poses a significant threat to pollinating insects. Italian MEPs are calling for specific measures to combat the spread of this predator and are concerned about its impact on honey production and biodiversity in Italy. The Asian hornet, which entered Europe in 2004, has caused significant economic losses in countries such as France and Portugal, and beekeepers in Italy are raising frequent alarms about the problem, with some regions experiencing a 50% drop in honey production.

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Original content

The problem of honey bees in Europe is being discussed more and more frequently within the walls of the European Commission. Italian MEPs have called for action to be taken as soon as possible on one of the biggest enemies of pollinating insects - the Asian hornet, whose population has grown on the Old Continent, writes The Guardian. The countries with the most beehives in Europe Asian yellow-legged hornets are native to Southeast Asia. They were first identified in Europe two decades ago in France. They then spread to Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Portugal and Italy, where, after their first appearance in 2012, they wreaked havoc in the northern regions of the country. In 2023, the UK recorded a sharp population jump. Eleven MEPs from the right-wing Forza Italia asked the commission to develop "specific measures to combat the spread of the insect by funding control systems with EU resources". The Asian hornet is a "voracious predator" with the capacity to kill up to 30 bees a ...

Source: Agri