Beekeeper management strategies and financial exposure to Asian hornet invasion in Europe
García-Arias, Ana Isabel; Ferreira-Golpe, María Amparo; Vázquez-González, Ibán; Nave, Anabela; García-Pérez, Ana Luisa; Thiery, Denis; Godinho, Joana
publication en ligne: Sep 1, 2026
manuscrit accepté: May 10, 2026
révision final du manuscrit reçu: May 3, 2026
révision du manuscrit demandée: Mar 2, 2026
manuscrit reçu: Oct 27, 2025
Open Access (article peut être télechargé gratuitement)
Abstract
The yellow-legged Asian hornet Vespa velutina nigrithorax (V. v. nigrithorax) was introduced to Europe in 2004 and thereafter spread rapidly, with impacts on beekeeping, fruit production, pollination services and human health. Focusing here on beekeeping, this is the first large-scale survey of the practices of beekeepers and costs associated with controlling V. v. nigrithorax. The survey was conducted as part of a 4-year-long European project. Between January and August 2021, 378 beekeepers from 4 European regions completed a questionnaire on different aspects of V. v. nigrithorax control. The beekeepers were selected by means of stratified random sampling according to the number of hives managed, with a proportional distribution. Using a cost-based approach, the cost incurred by the total population of beekeepers (complex sample) in the prevention and control of V. v. nigrithorax was estimated across four Atlantic regions for the year 2020. This cost amounted to €7.9 million that represented 10.3% of the estimated honey production value, ranging from 5.1% in Nouvelle-Aquitaine to 20.5% in the Basque Country. The opportunity costs of different prevention and control practices are also considered. How the beekeeping sector is organized and experience determines the different regional patterns in the use of different prevention and control techniques. Other factors, such as environmental or socio-economic, may be studied in the future. The cost-efficiency approach adopted is applied to policy recommendations.
Mots-clefs
economic cost •
Vespa velutina nigrithorax
•
beekeeping •
invasive species •
honeybee colony losses •
Apis mellifera
•
trapping methods •
pollinator conservation