VIDEO. 8 questions about Asian hornets

“Hornet stings are more painful than wasp or bee stings in Europe, that’s for sure. Afterwards, the pain is not related to the danger.“Is it more dangerous for humans? Can you die from bites? What to do with an Asian hornet? Quentin Rome, “Asian hornet and Hymenoptera” manager, answers 8 very simple questions about these insects.

For Quentin Rome, “Asian Hornet and Hymenoptera” Manager, Asian hornet stings are not originally fatal for humans. “The estimates, to die of envenomation, it is to exceed 500 bites. Exceeding 500 bites is really exceptional, you have to really, really want it. People who cut a nest in half with a hedge trimmer, for example, usually get away with around 40 bites.”, explains the expert. However, people suffering from allergies must remain very vigilant, because a few bites from these insects could be fatal. “What we have as death is by allergic reactions. From the second bite, these people can go into severe shock and die. And there, you have to react very quickly, but it’s exactly the same with the honeybee or with other wasps..”

Faced with an Asian hornet, Quentin Rome advises above all to keep calm. “The first thing to do is not to panic. They have a reputation for being aggressive, but they are not. In general, you really have to look for it to sting and, like any social species, it will attack above all to defend its colony…“As its name suggests, the Asian hornet comes straight from Asia, and more precisely from China. It was introduced for the horticultural trade in France, “probably before 2004”, specifies the expert.