Twice as big as a bee, recognizable by its black abdomen and its yellow legs, the Asian hornet is a formidable predator who likes to build his nest near the dwellings.
“The first nests called primary nests are still sheltered,” explains Florian Bastin, a researcher at the Walloon Agronomic Research Center (CRA-W). They are often made in nest boxes, mailboxes, carports, attics, hangars or even children’s games. »»
A nest can grow up to 80 centimeters in diameter, the equivalent of a basketball ball, and house up to 5,000 individuals. The Asian hornet is more aggressive in nature and defends its territory if we approach it within five meters.
“His dart will be larger than with bees or wasps. It may be more painful, but in terms of venom, it is almost the same quantity that he will be able to inject, “explains Florian Bastin. And the researcher to add that like wasps, the Asian hornet will have the opportunity to prick several times, “because his dart is smooth, unlike the bees that have a serrated dart and who will lose it during the first bite”.
In the majority of cases, the bite of the Asian hornet is benign. It causes redness, swelling, pain and itching. A cream and an antihistamine are enough, but the consequences can be much more serious, especially in case of allergies.
The piqued person can run out of steam, feel like not to breathe well, even make a discomfort. “In these cases, if we suspect an allergic reaction, there is obviously the taking of antihistamine,” says Marie Minet, a pneumo-allergologist at the Notre-Dame de Grâce clinic in Gosselies. But it is above all the injection of adrenaline that will allow the situation to be straightened ”.
A succession of bites can also cause an envenation: “It means poisoning,” explains Marie Minet. But that still has to be a lot of venom. And there, the symptoms are a little more general. You can make a discomfort, have problems with renal failure for example, things like that, but it is in the emergency room that it is treated. »»
It is therefore essential to call on a professional to neutralize a nest, especially when it is close to homes. Appeared in 2016 in the Tournai region, the Asian hornet continues to progress on our territory. Today there are 4000 nests in Wallonia.