A report has been published on the analysis of the first Asian Hornet nests found in Ireland. You can download the report through the following link:
Summary findings
Two nests of the invasive hornet Vespa velutina were successfully tracked and removed from Cork City and Cobh by the National Parks & Wildlife Service (NPWS) in 2025. On behalf of NPWS and the Asian Hornet Management Group, both nests, and their contents, were subsequently examined by the National Museum of Ireland’s entomologist.
Studying nests can give important insight into the developmental stage of the nest. Crucially, from the perspective of informing future management decisions, nest analysis can reveal whether the nests were in the reproductive phase of their natural life cycle.
The nest analysis confirms that the swift tracking and removal of both nests by NPWS rangers prevented the establishment of any further colonies.
This analysis also found that the queen in the Cobh nest had died or may have abandoned the nest. This indicates nest failure.
Next steps
Genetic sequencing of both nests has now been commissioned.
