Over 100 Northern Giant Hornet Nests Found in Jersey: Several People in France Reported Injured from Stings

Over 100 northern giant hornet nests have been found and destroyed by local authorities in the island country of Jersey this year, according to media reporting as of Monday, August 22.

The said figure came when a secondary nest was found in brambles in St. Martin by the end of last week.

Additional nests have been discovered in Waterworks Valley and St. Peter's Valley.

On the other hand, French media has reported that cyclists sustained injuries after being stung by the hornets multiple times.

In the town of Briennon, two cyclists were left in life-threatening conditions after the invasive insects stung them approximately 50 times each.

A third cyclist was also hospitalized after being stun 15 times.

The incident occurred after they disturbed a nest while mountain biking.

For over a decade, the notorious wasp species made its presence in Europe, including in France and spreading to neighboring countries in the continent.

Recently undergoing a name change from Asian giant hornets, the northern giant hornets were also formerly called as "murder hornets," which also made its way into the United States during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

Jersey Hornet Nests

(Photo : Photo by Nikhilmore via Wikimedia Commons)

Local media outlet Jersey Evening Post on Monday reported the latest search-and-destroy operations of northern giant hornet nests, citing one of the initiatives feat in social media.

In a Facebook post by user John De Carteret, the Jersey resident said nests and queens were trapped in their "Spring Trapping" campaign, a move to prevent the wasps from building a new nest.

Carteret also said the ecological challenge is not something that the Asian Hornet volunteers or the Jersey government could stop alone, hence requiring the public to participate and make a difference.

Also Read: Hornet Swarm Kills Five People in France, Seen Heading Towards Southeast UK

France Hornet Attack

On Sunday, August 21, incidents regarding a hornet attack on the three cyclists began circulating in France.

The cyclists "needed emergency medical treatment" after the so-called sting operations while riding in a wooded area in the Loire region, it was reported by the television network Euronews.

Local emergency services, including a dozen firemen and three ambulances, were deployed into the scene.

Authorities said they had never encountered such incident like this before.

Northern Giant Hornets

Hornets, in general, are the largest of the wasp family, which is native to Europe.

Similar to bees, hornets also live in large colonies consisting of a single queen and thousands of workers to build and sustain their home.

However, the northern giant hornet in Europe that we see today was accidentally introduced from China, with an initial wasp invasion of France in 2004.

Since then, their presence was reported in Spain, Portugal, Italy, Belgium, and Ireland from 2010 to 2021.

In July 2022, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) cited the "Asian giant hornet" is no longer called us such.

Instead, the Vespa mandarinia hornet species has been officially called as the "northern giant hornet."

The name change was announced by the Entomological Society of America (ESA) on July 25 in their list called Common Names of Insects and Related Organisms.