About the project
Yellow-legged/Asian hornets represent an invasive species that poses a significant threat to native bee populations, potentially leading to extensive repercussions within UK ecosystems. This project will develop acoustic tools to facilitate the rapid identification of Asian hornet nests, enabling the effective removal of these nests and safeguarding native ecosystems.
The spread of Asian hornets (Vespa velutina nigrithothorax) from continental Europe to the UK is a major environmental challenge because they predate on a wide range of pollinators. Their control is achieved via nest destruction but locating the nest within an area can be a major obstacle. The acoustic signature of the hornet nests provides one opportunity to assist with this detection.
This project will characterise the acoustic signature of hornet nests, and develop tools which can remotely detect them. This will speed up the process of locating nests prior to their destruction and assist with the eradication of this species from the UK.
This project, in collaboration with experts on this invasive species, will focus on the acoustic characterization of Asian hornet nests. One goal is to distinguish these nests from similar ones, such as those of bees, wasps, and European hornets. The project will involve detailed field measurements of the nests.
Additionally, various methods will be evaluated and tested to develop sensitive acoustic systems that can detect the unique sound signatures of Asian hornet nests from a usable distance.
