Asian hornet’s unique buzz may hold secret to containing invasive species | Invasive species

Asian hornets are buzzing at a unique frequency that could be the key to controlling their spread, noted scientists, because the invasive species underwent a record year in the United Kingdom.

The researchers said that it was a “good news” because the hornet nests can now be found faster and distinguished from those of other species, which means that their threat to bees and other pollinators could be contained.

Vespa Velutina Demember and eat bees, and prospered in France, where they worried due to the number of insects killed. They sit outside the hives of bees and capture the bees when they enter and go out, and cut the smallest insects and feed their thorax to their young people. A single Asian hornet can track down and eat 30 to 50 bees in one day.

Their number has skyrocketed in recent years in the United Kingdom. There were 57 observations in 2023, more than double the previous seven years combined, and 2024 broke this record with 71 confirmed observations.

This year, this number has already been exceeded; The national bee unit reports 73 Asian hornet observations and 28 nests in 2025 to date – more than double the 28 observations recorded during the same period last year. The big wasps were winter in the United Kingdom for the first time in 2023-24, which means that they could be in the country for good.

Scientists, beekeepers and the government have fought hard to maintain the number of Frenets, leading a national hornet storage campaign so that their nests can be identified and destroyed. But despite this, their number continues to increase, which endangers native pollinators.

Now, scientists at the University of Southampton have made a breakthrough, establishing for the first time the frequency and volume of the sound of their nests. This means that the detection and elimination of creatures could become faster and easier.

They have established that the fundamental frequency of Asian hornet nests is 125 Hertz and the intensity in the region of 51 decibels, which is comparable to a normal conversation.

The new research means that sound can be used to distinguish them from nests and hives from other wasps and bees. This will be particularly useful in September and October, when the nests reach.

The graduate in acoustic engineering Sophie Gray, who undertook research, said: “We observed and measured two Asian Cornet nests and a European hornet nest in Jersey before being destroyed. We have found that the fundamental frequency is 125 hertz and that the nest can be detected at around 20 meters with a directional microphone.

“We have also recorded European hornets and bees to determine if we can differentiate the frequency. The fundamental frequency of the European hornet is around 110 hertz and the bees of around 210 Hertz. It was excellent news to discover that the frequency is unique for each species, so they are distinct.”

The species came for the first time in Europe in 2004, when the hornets were identified in France, and it is believed that they were accidentally transported in the Cargash of Asia. They have since spread quickly through Western Europe.