A second Asian hornet nest has been found in Cork, the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) has confirmed.
The nest was discovered in Cobh on Friday evening, about 10km from the site in Cork city where a different nest was removed earlier in the day.
NPWS officials had been searching Cobh throughout the week after a confirmed sighting of an Asian hornet in the area.
The Cork city nest, removed from a private garden on the southside on Friday afternoon, was the first recorded Asian hornet nest in Ireland.
Nature, heritage, and biodiversity minister Christopher O’Sullivan described the removal as a “challenging and complex operation.”
Mr O’Sullivan said that, since the first confirmed sighting of an Asian Hornet in the Cork City area just over a month ago, the NPWS had been “working tirelessly with experts from the NBDC [National Biodiversity Data Centre], NMI [National Museum of Ireland] and with local beekeepers to locate a nest.”
He thanked those involved for their “skill and speed in removing it safely.”
The NPWS said the nest was removed under “strictly controlled conditions, following international best practice.”
The operation was carried out by the NPWS South West Division, led by regional manager Declan O’Donnell, with support from an expert from the UK Animal and Plant Health Agency and the Irish Pest Control Association.
A sighting of a single Asian Hornet in Dublin has also been verified. File Picture
The NPWS said the second nest in Cobh, which is “significantly smaller than the first,” will be removed using the same protocol, and also will be brought to the national museum for further testing and analysis.
Over the past month, further sightings of the Asian hornet have been confirmed in Cork, and one verified sighting has also been recorded in Dublin.
The NPWS said “intensive surveying and track-and-trace activities” are now underway to investigate possible further activity.
Mr O’Sullivan added: “I am aware of reports of further sightings of the Asian Hornet, and I’d like to reassure everyone that each of these is taken very seriously and investigated thoroughly when reported.”.
The Asian hornet, also known as the yellow-legged hornet, poses a significant threat to biodiversity in Ireland because even a single nest can devastate honeybee populations. It does not pose a significant risk to public health.
The species is native to Southeast Asia but has spread across Europe since first being identified in southern France in 2004. It has since reached several EU countries and the UK, where efforts are ongoing to halt its spread.
The public is asked to report any sightings of the Asian hornet, with a photograph, to the National Biodiversity Data Centre at www.invasives.ie.