# Does trapping Asian hornets actually work?

> Mass trapping of foundresses in spring has not been shown to reduce populations across a territory. Work by INRAE, the French National Museum of Natural History and ITSAP converges on that point. Trapping keeps a narrow role near apiaries already under pressure, and only if the trap is selective.

_Updated 2026-08-12. https://reporthornet.com/en/guide/asian-hornet-trapping_

## What do the studies say about spring trapping?

They do not confirm the intuition. Trapping foundresses in February and March sounds logical, since every female caught is one colony fewer, but assessments by INRAE, the National Museum of Natural History and ITSAP agree: mass spring trapping has shown no measurable effect on populations at territory scale.

The explanation is a matter of scale. A colony produces hundreds of future foundresses, of which a tiny share survives the winter and manages to found a nest. Removing a fraction of those candidates does not change the number of colonies that actually establish.

## Why is non-selective trapping a problem?

Because it mostly kills something else. Bottle and bell traps catch mainly flies, butterflies, native wasps and beetles, with Asian hornets a small minority of the catch.

ITSAP has stated that no trap has yet shown sufficient selectivity, and advises restricting trapping to apiaries that suffered losses the previous year. Bottle traps are explicitly discouraged, including home-made adaptations.

> A poorly designed trap at the bottom of a garden does more damage to local pollinators than to the Asian hornet.

## How should you trap when it is justified?

Where the situation warrants it, meaning near an apiary under pressure, trapping must be selective, time-limited and monitored.

- Use a trap with calibrated exits, 5 to 5.5 mm openings that let smaller insects escape.
- Place it right by the hives, not in a garden with no beekeeping stake.
- Check it regularly and record non-target catches, the only way to confirm the device is genuinely selective.
- Remove the trap as soon as the pressure period ends.

## What actually protects an apiary?

Protecting the hives directly works better than mass trapping. Entrance guards, reduced openings, strong colonies and the removal of nests found nearby all act where predation happens.

Nest removal remains the most effective measure, and it is the one that departmental control plans have structured since 2025.

## FAQ

### Should you trap in your garden in spring?

It is not advised outside a beekeeping context. The benefit for hornet populations is unproven, while the cost to other insects is real and immediate.

### What bait attracts the Asian hornet?

Fermented sweet mixes in spring, protein sources late in the season. No bait available today is specific to the species, which is why selectivity rests on trap design rather than on its contents.

### Is trapping regulated?

In France it falls under the departmental plans created by the law of 14 March 2025, which organise monitoring and control. Terms vary between departments, so check with the prefecture or the local animal health group.

## Sources

- [ITSAP, assessment of the effectiveness of spring trapping](https://itsap.asso.fr/articles/frelon-asiatique-evaluation-de-l-efficacite-du-piegeage-de-printemps)
- [Asian hornet portal, French National Museum of Natural History](https://frelonasiatique.mnhn.fr/)
- [French Law no. 2025-237 of 14 March 2025 on curbing the spread of the Asian hornet and protecting beekeeping](https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/jorf/id/JORFTEXT000051329052)