An Asian hornet nest was found in Uloža in the Spiš region. It's the fifth discovery in Slovakia, and beekeepers say hornets have been flying there for two years already

On Tuesday, the State Nature Conservancy of the Slovak Republic located and had destroyed a nest of the Asian hornet, an invasive predator of bees that has spread from France to several European countries since the beginning of the century, in the village of Uloža in the Levoča district. Korzár ↗ Plus JEDEN DEŇ ↗ Conservationists found it on the façade of a house using a tiny transmitter attached to the back of a captured hornet and a drone, with help from experts from France and Hungary. STVR ↗ Uloža is already the fifth location with confirmed occurrence since 2024. However, unlike previous isolated findings, local beekeepers here say they had already observed hornets two years ago. Korzár ↗

A transmitter on the hornet's back led conservationists to the house

The State Nature Conservancy received a report of possible hornet occurrence in Uloža on September 26, confirmed the occurrence, and on October 12 it was announced on social media by the state secretary of the environment ministry, Filip Kuffa. ŠOP SR ↗ TASR ↗ Conservationists captured, tagged, and tracked hornets, tried a drone as well as thermal imaging, and eventually discovered the nest on the façade of a house right in the village. Peter Olekšák, deputy director of the Slovenský raj National Park Administration, said about the tool that made the difference: "They developed a special new type of transmitter that is completely lightweight, completely nano." STVR ↗ The nest was then removed by a professional company. Pravda ↗

The same approach was used in early October by Irish nature wardens in County Cork. They attached a miniature transmitter to a living hornet and located the nest near Ringaskiddy a few hours later. RTÉ ↗

The fifth location, the first with witnesses from the village

Besides Uloža, the State Nature Conservancy records four other findings. In 2024, a nest was found in Palárikovo and a male specimen in Dolný Ohaj. In 2025, an overwintering queen was found in Pravenec and an individual in Lozorno. According to conservationists, the latter two involved hornets introduced along with goods from abroad, and no further individuals or nests were confirmed in the vicinity of either location. Korzár ↗

In Uloža, what the villagers say is different. Former beekeeper Viliam Chmelár told STVR that he had spotted Asian hornets as early as two years ago but did not report them to anyone, and according to him they destroyed all four of his bee colonies. Beekeeper Helena Proková warns: "If we do nothing, they will be here, we will find them in every region, in the thousands." STVR ↗ Official data from the State Nature Conservancy mention only the report from the end of September. Conservationists have not confirmed a longer presence of hornets in the village. ŠOP SR ↗

The local TV Levoča filmed a report in Uloža on Tuesday, with drone footage of the village, the captured hornet, and an interview with the State Nature Conservancy's communications manager Ingrid Károlyová (5:48, in Slovak).

What Europe has already experienced

In France, the Asian hornet first appeared in 2004, probably with ceramics imported from China, and has since occupied a large part of the country. In early October, a swarm of Asian hornets there attacked runners at a trail race in Saint-Maurice-en-Gourgois: about twenty participants suffered stings, and one with a severe allergic reaction was taken to hospital by helicopter. TA3 ↗ In September, the French government announced a national plan to fight the hornet worth 3 million euros. Le Figaro ↗

In the German region of Aachen, the hornet is already considered an established species, which is why authorities there mostly do not pay for nest removal, with the costs borne by the affected property owners. WDR ↗ In the Czech Republic, the Nature and Landscape Protection Agency received approximately 700 reports this year, but the occurrence was confirmed in only two cases, in Rozvadov and in Liběchov near Mělník. iDNES.cz ↗

How to recognize it and what to do

The Asian hornet is somewhat smaller and significantly darker than the native European hornet. It has a black head and thorax, a dark abdomen with one conspicuous wide orange band, and distinctly yellow leg tips. In spring, the queen establishes a primary nest the size of a tennis ball. A large secondary nest with a side opening is later typically suspended freely high in a tree crown. According to conservationists, it is dangerous to humans mainly when the nest is disturbed, and for allergy sufferers. Korzár ↗

The State Nature Conservancy asks that people not interfere with the nest and not approach it. It is enough to photograph the finding, note the exact location, date and time, and report it via the Rapid Warning System of the State Nature Conservancy of the Slovak Republic, the "Zastav sršňa" (Stop the Hornet) mobile app, or by email to srsen@sopsr.sk. According to conservationists, early detection is important to prevent the species from spreading further. ŠOP SR ↗

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*Illustrative photo: an Asian hornet in Poitiers, France, Wikimedia Commons (CC0).*