Asian hornet populations surge in the Netherlands and Belgium

The invasive Asian hornet (Vespa velutina) is seeing a significant surge in activity across the Netherlands and Belgium. In the Netherlands, reports of nests rose sharply from 2,204 in the previous year to over 10,000 in 2025. These hornets pose a threat to pollinators such as honeybees and bumblebees.

As autumn approaches and leaves fall, nests become more visible. These nests can grow to diameters of 40 to 80 cm, housing up to 1,000 hornets and producing hundreds of new queens.

In Belgium, the fire department in Vlaams-Brabant West is facing a record number of calls to destroy nests. To manage the workload, the fire service has established structural partnerships with local beekeeping associations, such as Imkers Pajottenland en Zennevallei and Imkersgilde Neerbrabant. These volunteers assist in locating and destroying nests to prevent the population from expanding, as a single unmanaged nest can lead to ten new nests the following year.