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The Asian hornet is a major threat to bees. Ariane Gaffuri / RFI

Arriving in southwestern France in 2004, the Asian hornet is spreading massively in the city as in the countryside with a preference for wet places. Last year, in the department of La Manche, 6,000 colonies of Asian hornets were spotted.

In garbage cans, bushes or even in huts; Asian hornet nests can be everywhere. And even if it is a minority situation, beware of the bites of this insect. They can be fatal in case of allergic reaction. It is advisable to quickly call the Samu or firefighters if symptoms occur.

But the presence of the Asian hornet is not just a health problem. " This is an economic problem since the hornet, as a generalist predator, will also hunt bees, explains Eric Darrouzet, teacher-researcher at the Insect Research Institute in Tours. It has a big impact on the beekeeping activity. It makes colonies disappear by reducing their activity, stressing them and, consequently, causing their death . "

A health problem, economic but also agricultural, points the researcher. " We have seen now that there are impacts of the hornet on fruit crops and that the animal can go recover sugar and cause a rotting of the fruit. This reduces the yield at the plot level and this can also reduce the quality of the products especially in the wine sector. "

Today, to eradicate these insects, no optimal solution exists. Either the colonies are spotted by chance and killed with a pesticide, or traps are set up . But they are not always effective and selective: they capture a whole range of insects and not only the hornet. For now, researchers are working to finally locate the nests by equipping the insect with transmitters.