Eurohornet english

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The EUROFRELON 2020 project, WHAT IS IT?

The EUROFRELON 2020 project is part of a large-scale research project launched in 2017 by researchers from the INRAE and the CNRS. Its main objective is to understand the genetic and morphological adaptations that promote the expansion of the Asian hornet (Vespa velutina) in Europe in order to regulate populations more effectively. To carry out this project, we need your help!

Capture and send us queens from your area before they have nested!

HOW TO PARTICIPATE?

(click here)

What do we know about the Asian Hornet and why do we want to study it?

The Asian hornet was accidentally introduced into the Southwest of France in 2004. Since then, it has expanded its territory and it is now found throughout France as well as in other european countries such as Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Italy, Germany and the United Kingdom.

Its expansion is very fast and worrying because everywhere it invades, the Asian hornet kills bees and impacts on the local biodiversity. By sending us Asian hornet queens captured in your area, we will be able to measure certain morphological traits (such as head, thorax or abdomen) that will allow us to understand why their invasion is so fast.

The larger our dataset, the more powerful our analyses, which is why we need to collect a large number of queens from a wide variety of locations!

Map 1: Asian Hornet distribution area (gray) in Europe in 2020

The EUROFRELON project - Presentation and follow-up of the research

The EUROFRELON 2020 project is part of a large-scale research programme launched in 2017 by researchers from INRAE and CNRS. In 2017, a first harvest of Asian hornet queens was carried out and many of you already took part in it! More than 5000 queens from 5 different countries had been sent to us!

Now present in a large part of Europe, the expansion rate of the Asian hornet is increasing worryingly : But why is this dispersal so fast? Is the Hornet evolving? Can this phenomenon be regulated? Could climatic factors and the time since invasion allow them to develop new physical characteristics (shape, weight, wing size, etc.) that would improve their flight abilities?

Our first results suggest that there are morphological differences depending on where the hornets come from. In some areas, hornets have morphological traits that allow them to have better flight skills, which could allow them to disperse better. Additional collection of hornet queens in 2020 are critical to confirm these results and refine models.