Asian hornet nest discovered in Cork City 

Minister of State Christopher O'Sullivan said he could not confirm the exact location of the nest, but said the National Park and Wildlife Service was working on the best way to remove it

A worker of the invasive Asian hornet species.

An Asian hornet nest has been located on the south side of Cork City, near where one of the invasive insects was discovered earlier this month. 

Minister of State Christopher O'Sullivan said he could not confirm the exact location of the nest, but said the National Park and Wildlife Service (NPWS) was working on the best way to remove it. 

He said the population of hornets within the nest would soon be "destroyed" and the nest itself would then be brought to the National Museum of Ireland for testing.

"[The nest] will be investigated and DNA tests will be carried out to find out exactly where we think this hornet may have originated from," he said.

Mr O'Sullivan said that if the species got a foothold in the country, it would be "devastating"  for our native pollinators — things "like hoverflies, bumblebees, solitary bees, and of course beekeeping".

"So I'm proud that we actually have got out ahead of this and responded so quickly."

The discovery comes after a member of the public in Cork City spotted an Asian hornet earlier this month and logged the location on the National Bodiversity Data Centre's website, along with a photograph. Entomologists at both the National Museum of Ireland and NPWS then verified the sighting as being an Asian hornet, triggering a biosecurity alert and rapid response protocol.

The NPWS said no evidence of a hornet nest or any other hornet activity was initially observed, but "subsequent surveillance led to the trapping of an Asian hornet on August 12". Thereafter "extensive" monitoring took place to determine if this was a lone individual Asian hornet or if there was evidence of a larger population.

Following the sighting, a task force — The Asian Hornet Management Group (AHMG) — was established. Chaired by the NPWS, the AHMG also includes officials from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, the National Biodiversity Data Centre and the National Museum of Ireland.

Mr O'Sullivan told RTÉ's Morning Ireland the nest was located following an "intensive effort" by the NPWS. 

Vespa velutina, otherwise known as the Asian hornet or the yellow-legged hornet, pose a significant threat to biodiversity in Ireland, as even a single nest can devastate honeybee populations. It does not pose a significant public health risk.

Anyone who suspects they have spotted an Asian hornet should not attempt to disturb or capture it. While they are not generally aggressive, they may sting if provoked.

The insect is native to Southeast Asia but has spread through Europe since being first identified on the continent in the south of France in 2004, when a single fertilised queen is suspected of having arrived in the country, hiding in a shipment of pottery from China.

In the years since, it has been found in several other EU countries and the UK, where efforts are ongoing to halt its spread.

To date, Ireland has remained largely free from this invasive species, and the sighting in Cork was just the second-ever verified sighting here. The first sighting of the insect in Ireland was in Dublin in 2021.

Members of the public have been asked to report any suspected hornet sightings through the National Biodiversity Data Centre’s Alien Watch reporting portal. The portal includes sections where exact location co-ordinates and photographs, if available, can be added.