What threat do Asian hornets pose to Ireland?

Agriland

23-04-2025

Invasive species from all over the world provide a 'significant threat' to Irish biosecurity, according to a biodiversity officer with Offaly County Council.
Ricky Whelan believes that one of these, the Asian hornet – a predator of honeybees, wasps and other pollinators – is 'certainly on it's way' to Ireland.
There have been seven confirmed sightings of the Asian hornet in the UK in 2025.
He told Agriland that while the insect will inevitably arrive in Ireland, he 'won't be losing any sleep' just yet about the issue.
He said: 'You can be as alarmist or as calm as you like.
'There are probably 50 other species I'd be more worried about presently. I won't be losing any sleep until I see the article saying 'Asian hornets arrive in Ireland'.'
But Whelan also explained how the Asian hornet would make an economic and ecological impact if it arrived in Ireland.
'They have reached the Channel Islands. If you had a clear day, they could probably get here on their own steam. Or, through the importation of plants, they may be stowaways as eggs or animals.'
He also added: 'The list of invasive species to the island of Ireland is well in the hundreds. It happens all the time.
'We have great policies, and we have biosecurity measures in place in our ports. An Achilles heel is through the north, where the British rules may not be the same as the European rules.
'The approach to getting rid of them is very physical, it's finding their nests destroying them, or luring adults into traps and killing them directly.
'If you can get to them that quickly, and get rid of the population before it establishes itself, it's possible to wipe this slate clean.'
Asian hornets
According to Whelan, the situation in Europe is very different to that in Ireland.
'In continental Europe, the horse has galloped, they can't put the lid on it now. The only thing protecting us is the Irish Sea.
'That's the only reason we don't have the same variety of species as other places, because we're an island,' Whelan said.
'Asian hornets can disrupt habitats by their presence, it would be a new predator attacking insects. They can spread diseases our insects don't have, and they threaten biodiversity directly. Obviously, there is an economic cost to the honey,' he added.
Whelan believes that stopping the spread of Asian hornets would require an interdepartmental response between the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) and the National Parks and Wildlife Services (NPWS).
He said: 'In Ireland, if it's a threat to agriculture, DAFM lead the way on it, but if it's a threat to wildlife, it's the NPWS that lead the way.
'This would have to be a marriage of the two, the ports and revenue, and everybody gets involved when it's a biosecurity issue. It's the responsibility of an awful lot of people to manage these things.
'If the hornets manage to get into Northern Ireland via Britain, with a shipment carrying Asian hornets eggs, it could easily be transferred into Ireland. The insects obviously don't recognise borders,' he added.