Asian hornet eradication efforts expand in Netherlands and Belgium

In the Dutch municipality of Moerdijk, authorities have captured more than 2,600 Asian hornet queens after urging residents to deactivate traps and using a volunteer‑led tracking program. Volunteers hang non‑toxic lure pots on lampposts; captured hornets receive a color mark that reveals their flight direction, allowing teams to locate and destroy nests in a new phase of the operation.

In Belgium’s Westerlo, a nest was discovered in the Red Cross Street garden after volunteers mapped hornet movements. Using a telescopic lance to disperse a special powder inside the nest entrance, the colony is expected to die within days. The number of nests reported this year has already doubled the previous year's total, raising concerns for honey‑bees and local biodiversity.