natural reserve
A particularly large number of hornets were sighted during the “insect summer”.
A hornet (Vespa crabro) on a stone in a garden. photo
© Patrick Pleul/dpa-Zentralbild/dpa
They sometimes have an unjustly bad reputation, because hornets are peaceful and very useful insects. The European hornet in particular seems to feel particularly at home in this country.
Not dangerous, but useful: A particularly large number of European hornets were reported in Germany this year during the “Insect Summer” hands-on campaign, as the Bavarian nature conservation association LBV announced on Friday in Hilpoltstein. Their dangerous reputation wrongly precedes them, said LBV expert Tarja Richter. “Hornets are neither particularly aggressive nor are their stings more dangerous than those of other wasps or bees. On the contrary, they are very peaceful and only sting if they are massively disturbed or pursued.”
They are considered particularly useful for this: “Our native hornets pollinate currants, for example, and – unlike bees – fly even in cooler temperatures, wind, rain and even at night.” A colony of hornets, consisting of up to 700 animals, consumes up to 500 grams of insects every day. In this way, hornets also ensure that the insect populations remain in balance.
From June 2nd to 11th, people were able to take part in the counting campaign and report their insect observations. A second period for “insect summer” runs from August 4th to 13th. In the first observation phase, the light and dusky bumblebees were in first place, followed by the stone bumblebee and the grove hoverfly.
The campaign – jointly initiated by the LBV and the Naturschutzbund Deutschland (Nabu) – is intended to provide important information on how beetles, bumblebees, bees and butterflies are doing in this country. The associations also want to draw people’s attention to the importance of insects and their endangerment.