This pest is making a comeback: this help allows it to be eradicated at a lower cost

Individuals are invited to contact a professional to deal with this problem. Part of their bill will be covered.

20 years. It has been 20 years since this pest appeared in France, unexpectedly. Since then, it has been impossible to stop its proliferation. A real scourge, now widespread throughout the country: very bad news for the French ecosystem. Containing it requires a continuous and tenacious fight, every year. And now is the ideal time to try to get rid of it, since spring and its mildness are just around the corner. So it's time to worry about it.

We are talking here about Asian hornets. When nice weather returns, the females come out of hibernation and start building nests again. However, the deployment of Asian hornets is bad news because they are responsible, each year, for the death of thousands of bees. For beekeepers and their hives, this is a disaster. It is therefore requested to destroy the nests. For this, calling on a professional is required to avoid any risk.

In the case of an individual who has spotted an Asian hornet nest on their property, the cost is significant: approximately between 150 and 200 euros for the intervention of a professional to eradicate the colony. To facilitate the destruction of these nests, and so that the amount of the bill is not a hindrance, numerous financial aid schemes have however been announced. It is mainly the departments and urban areas which offer to cover part of the cost, even if certain municipalities can also contribute to paying the bill.

No national rule exists on the contribution that an administration must pay for the destruction of an Asian hornet nest. The amounts are decided locally. For example, the Department of Drôme grants up to 20 euros, while that of Eure offers up to 30 and that of Somme goes up to 80 euros. As for urban areas, that of Grand Reims offers 80 euros, as does the Seine-Eure metropolitan area (Louviers, Val-de-Reuil, etc.). The Cœur de Flandre Agglo community of municipalities (Hazebrouck, Bailleul, etc.) pays up to 200 euros. This aid can generally be combined with that paid by certain municipalities.

It is important to note that this is only about destroying the nest and not trapping Asian hornets. Indeed, this last method is contraindicated because "a captured hornet does not mean a future nest avoided", recalls the National Museum of Natural History. Trapping has advantages but also disadvantages since other pollinating insects other than hornets are often captured, to the detriment of biodiversity.