Friday 13, October
Invasive Asian hornet nest removed from tree in Schöneberg
It wasn’t easy, but the large nest of an invasive species of Asian hornet was carefully removed from a chestnut tree in Schöneberg’s Bavarian Quarter on Wednesday.
The Berlin fire brigade worked alongside NABU (a German nature conversation association) to delicately lower the nest, which was situated about 20 metres up into the tree, according to reporting by rbb. The nest, which is the first to be found in Berlin, had to be kept fully intact so that further studies could be made, and according to onlookers and a photos NABU posted to X, the hornets certainly didn’t make the task any easier.
Neben Absaugen kam auch der Kescher zum Einsatz…mit Tausenden Hornissen im Nest ist die Gegenwehr erheblich. Doch als erstes Nest dieser Art in Berlin lohnt der Einsatz. Wir wollen es intakt bergen und untersuchen. @SenMVKUBerlin ist als Obere Naturschutzbehörde mit vor Ort. pic.twitter.com/yCzgUmNaBN
— NABU Berlin (@NABU_Berlin) October 11, 2023
The invasive hornet is native to Southeast Asia and was first spotted in a restaurant in Schöneberg less than a month ago. According to a spokesperson for NABU, the insect isn’t any more dangerous to humans than its European counterpart. Instead, the alien species poses a major threat to local honeybee populations — leaving Berlin beekeepers and conservationists worried.
The threat isn’t new to Europe, however. The invasive hornet species has been spreading in Europe since the early 2000s, and it was first spotted in Germany in Baden-Württemberg in 2014, according to NABU.