Concerns over France’s new Asian hornet plan - no help promised for beekeepers or residents

A French beekeeper has welcomed the research element of the country's new national plan to fight Asian hornets but said it will do little to help beekeepers facing the financial impact of losing colonies. 

The French government has announced a plan to coordinate the fight against Asian hornets, backed by an exceptional €3 million budget for 2026, which was announced in April and made available from May.

The plan was formally adopted on Wednesday, September 16, after Agriculture Minister Annie Genevard and Ecological Transition Minister Mathieu Lefèvre signed the order establishing it.

It follows a law adopted in March 2025, which called for a national plan to organise the fight against Asian Hornets.

“It's going to help beekeepers with research, it's going to help researchers, but it's not going to help beekeepers,” Gaël Pénichon, a professional beekeeper and manager of Rucher de Vigneries in Saint-Laurent-sur-Gorre, Haute-Vienne, told The Connexion.

“Even if we install defence measures, for example the shield, or put traps in place, that has a financial cost. And behind that, if we still lose colonies, the state does not compensate us.” 

At the same time, there are no indications that the plan will help refund residents who pay for nests to be destroyed. 

It typically costs between €100 and €250 to remove a nest from a property and while some mairies offer financial assistance for help trapping the insects, nest removal is usually paid for by the homeowner.  

The Asian hornet was accidentally introduced to France in 2004 and is now present in every department of mainland France.

It is an invasive species and causes particular concern to beekeepers as it preys on honeybees. 

However, the species has spread so widely that eradication is no longer possible. So, the plan aims to limit its impact through measures adapted to the situation in each area. 

“Even if they give us a little money to buy traps, the traps have to be supplied with bait, so that has a cost,” he said. “And behind that, we won't trap everything, in any case.”

“What interests us, what would interest us, is that we could be compensated if our hives are decimated by the hornet.”

How will the plan work?

The national strategy has three areas: research and communication, organising the fight against the insect, and coordination between the different agencies involved. 

These areas are then divided into eight measures covering research public information, the classification of departments, control measures, funding and national and local coordination.

Departments will be placed into one of four levels according to the number of hornet nests: zero or very low, low, medium or high volumes.

In areas with low pressure, authorities will focus on finding and destroying nests and reducing pressure on bee colonies. 

In areas with medium pressure, the focus will be towards trapping queen hornets in spring so they do not have the chance to establish nests, as well as protecting bee colonies. 

Where there is high pressure, nest destruction will mainly focus on nests that pose a danger to the public or are close to beehives and spring trapping and measures to protect bee colonies will become the main tools. 

This level will determine which measures are used. The measures can include identifying and destroying nests, trapping queen hornets in spring to prevent new nests from forming, and using measures to reduce pressure on bee colonies.

In areas with high hornet pressure, nest destruction will mainly focus on nests posing a danger to the public or located close to beehives. Spring trapping and measures to protect bee colonies will also be prioritised.

Spring trapping is extremely important as it targets queen hornets after they emerge from winter and catch them before they establish secondary nests. The plan mentions that selective traps will be used to not catch other insects. 

When it comes to protecting bee colonies, the plan aims to use protective devices around hives such as electric traps, protecting "muzzles" around the hive entrance, and entrance restrictions. Autumn trapping can also be used in some areas. 

Each department will have six months to draw its own control plan which will be done in consultation with local authorities, health organisations, affected industries and environmental groups. 

How bees defend themselves

Ms Pénichon also mentioned a natural defence mechanism he has observed among his own bees when Asian hornets approach his hives.

“When there is a hornet on the landing board, the defending bees from the hive will go towards it and heat it up to kill it,” he said.

The bees form a ball around the hornet and raise its temperature by beating their wings.

“They heat it by beating their wings up to 42C,” he said. “They heat it until it dies.”

He said the behaviour is not unique to his colonies but is a natural defence mechanism found in domestic honeybees.

“All the bees genetically become defenders,” he said. “Domestic honeybees, the ones that are in the hives, have genes inside them to defend the hive.”

“A bee's life is between 21 and 40 days in summer, and between 40 and 90 days in winter,” he said. “Depending on its development, its size and its age, the bee changes jobs. It has seven jobs in its life.

“At a certain point it becomes a defender and it defends the hive. It's genetic, it's natural in the hives.”

A ‘shield’ to protect his hives

Pénichon said he has also developed his own physical defence system around his hives, which he calls a “shield”.

“Since I put my shield in front of the hives, my bees are no longer attacked by the Asian hornet,” he said.

The hornets are still present, he said, and can occasionally catch one or two bees, but they no longer attack his colonies in the same way.

He said he now explains his techniques for dealing with Asian hornets and protecting bees to other people who contact him.

What will the €3m fund?

The money is already being used to fund control measures in areas affected by Asian hornets. It will also support the development of more effective and selective ways of controlling the species in the longer term.

The plan also includes a dedicated €100,000 budget line in 2026 for coordinating the national plan.

Agriculture Minister Annie Genevard said the strategy would improve knowledge of the species and help make control measures more targeted.

“This long-awaited plan will allow us to make concrete progress in understanding this pest, for more effective and targeted control, and better protection of the beekeeping sector,” she said.

Ecological Transition Minister Delegate Mathieu Lefèvre said the plan would allow action to be adapted to local conditions.

“It demonstrates the State’s commitment to identifying and deploying actions tailored to the specific realities of each region in order to reduce the pressure of this invasive species on our beekeepers and our biodiversity.,” he said.

He added that continued involvement from local authorities and other stakeholders would be essential to its success.

The national plan will be reviewed every six years, while departmental plans will be updated when necessary.