The National Parks and Wildlife Service has found an Asian hornet nest near Ringaskiddy, Co. Cork was quick to jump in and lend a hand. He used little tracking devices on some live insects. The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and the NPWS said that the nest was found just a few hours after a hornet was tagged.
The operation kicked off after a kind member of the public snapped a photo of an Asian hornet in the Ringaskiddy area at the end of September 2026 and let the authorities know. A second hornet was found nearby, so the NPWS made their response stronger. Our Conservation Rangers are doing such important work! They’ve set up bait stations and, for the first time in Ireland, they’ve attached tiny radio transmitters to live hornets. This clever plan allowed them to follow the hornets back to their colony.
The lovely Minister of State for Nature, Heritage and Biodiversity, Christopher O’Sullivan, confirmed that the nest was found on 1 October 2026. He said that it was really important to be fast when the reports came in, and that the new technology had made it much easier to respond quickly, which was great. It was such a relief for Niall O’Donnchú, the head of the NPWS, to hear that the team led by Regional Manager Daniel O’Keefe had found the nest just a few hours after tagging a hornet.
Hey, why not find out a bit more about the Asian hornet? You’ll be amazed at what you can discover about this incredible creature!
The Asian hornet, which is originally from Southeast Asia, has spread through continental Europe since it was accidentally introduced to France in 2004. It’s a little predator that’s a real friend to pollinators, especially our beloved honeybees. It’s really sad, but a single nest can destroy all the local honeybees. You’ll find this species really easy to spot: it has a dark, velvety body, bright yellow leg tips, and a special way of hunting. Hornets are such sweet creatures, aren’t they? They wait patiently outside beehives for their precious bees to come home. Then, with a little bit of a nibble on the head and a gentle yank on the wings, they’ll gently remove them. They take the heads and wings back to feed their little ones.
Our Irish honeybees are really quite vulnerable, because they’ve never come across this predator before. The NPWS has described the Asian hornet as a very aggressive alien species. The Minister has kindly warned us that if it becomes established in the country, it might have a very negative effect on the local ecology, including bumblebees, solitary bees and hoverflies.
I’d love to tell you all about how the tracking operation was carried out!
The operation was guided by a set of rules that were put in place in 2025. That was when two nests of the Asian hornet were found and taken away in the Cork area. The 2026 response began when the public saw it on 24 September. The National Biodiversity Data Centre agreed that the first report was right, and NPWS Conservation Rangers started doing lots of surveying and monitoring.
After a second hornet was caught, the team started tracking it. Rangers put tiny transmitters on live hornets and let them go. Luckily, the radio signal helped the team to follow the insects’ flight paths back to their nest. The operation was a bit of a challenge because there was a lot of ripe ivy around an old building near where the search was taking place. This gave the hornets something to eat and brought them to the area. But don’t worry, we found the nest just a few hours after we put the tags on.
I’m so happy to tell you that the response involved coordination between the NPWS, Cork County Council, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, and the National Biodiversity Data Centre. The Minister was so grateful for all the help the people of Ringaskiddy gave during the operation, and it was so lovely to see everyone there.
What happens next?
The most important thing now is to safely remove the nest and thoroughly investigate the area around it. We’ll keep a close eye on things over the next few days and see if there’s any more activity. The NPWS will also do DNA tests on the hornets to find out where they came from and if they are related to the hornets that were found in Cork in 2025.
The timing of the operation was really important. It’s really important that we find any nests and get rid of them before the young queen hornets leave at this time of year. If our little queens do manage to escape, they will be spending the winter outside the nest. I’m very excited to tell you that they will be starting new colonies in the spring!
Here’s what we’d like you to do, our dear public!
You know, it’s so important for the public to play their part in spotting problems early on. If you think you have seen an Asian hornet, please take a photo and report it using the Asian Hornet Reporter on invasives.ie. We kindly ask members of the public to please refrain from trying to catch or handle hornets.
The Minister has said that it’s really important to spot invasive species early on, to share information about them and to take action quickly. We can do our bit to look after Ireland’s wildlife by managing invasive species. I’m so happy to tell you that the operation in Cork was a success. This is really encouraging, as it shows that the early warning and rapid response model works! But we still need to be watchful, don’t we?
Here’s a little background about me: I’d love to tell you what happened before and how ready we are, but…
It’s not the first time Asian hornets have been found in Ireland, so if you spot one, please do not worry – it’s not dangerous! Back in 2025, there were two nests that were found in the Cork area, and they were removed after people reported seeing them. Back in May 2026, the NPWS published a plan to deal with the Asian hornet in Ireland. The great plan is to spot the hornets early, have a little look, get rid of them and control them. We’re delighted to tell you that we’ve set up a brand new Invasive Species Bureau in partnership with the National Biodiversity Data Centre. This was all done to make the national response to invasive species stronger.
This 2026 operation is the first time that miniature tracking transmitters have been used on Asian hornets in Ireland, which is really exciting! This technology has worked really well in other countries, like the UK. It helps our teams find nests quickly before the animals can make their home there.
Information from:
Welcome to the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage! “Minister O’Sullivan has confirmed that an Asian hornet nest has been found in Co. Cork.” 1 October 2026.
This is the National Parks and Wildlife Service. The Minister for the Environment, Mr. O’Sullivan, has announced a new plan to deal with invasive species in Ireland, which is great news! 19 May 2026.
Welcome to the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage! I’m so glad to tell you that Minister O’Sullivan has confirmed that NPWS are on the lookout for the Asian hornet nest in Cork. 30 September 2026.
RTÉ News. “Invasive Asian hornet nest found in Cork.” 1 October 2026.
Invasives.ie. “New Asian Hornet Reporter – How to Stop the Spread” 26 October 2026.
Irish Examiner. “Asian hornets found near Ringaskiddy using tiny tracking devices.” 1 October 2026.
RTÉ News. “We’re on the lookout for a nest of Asian hornets in Cork.” 1 October 2026.
The Irish Times. “Hey guys, just a heads-up: we’ve found Asian hornet nests in Cork. The nests were found after small tracking devices were put on the insects.” 2 October 2026.
