The European honey buzzard (Pernis apivorus) as an ally for the control of the invasive yellow-legged hornet (Vespa velutina nigrithorax).

BACKGROUND

Biological control in integrated pest management (IPM) often overlooked avian predators until the emergence of the ecosystem services approach. Birds are now recognized as key regulators of pest populations in agroforestry landscapes due to their high mobility. The invasive yellow-legged hornet, introduced into Europe in 2004, threatens agriculture, beekeeping and native pollinators. We aimed to determine whether European honey buzzard attacks on yellow-legged hornet nests reduce the densities of individuals (workers) in summer and full-grown colonies in November around the raptor's nests in southwestern Europe.

RESULTS

We analyzed honey-buzzard foraging patterns of 11 individuals during breeding using trail cameras and GPS emitters to locate attacked hornet nests. The average mode distance from raptor nests to the attacked hornet nests was 1234.7 m, with 89.3% of attacked nests destroyed. We assessed the change in the abundance of hornet workers and in the density of full-grown nests over distance in the vicinity of 17 honey-buzzard nests and 10 control points, finding a significant decline of -0.000116 workers h m within 1000 m of a raptor nest. This impact intensified as the breeding season progressed. However, no significant effect on the density of full-grown hornet nests was observed.

CONCLUSION

These results are of interest for the management of the exotic hornet, at least on the abundance of workers and at a small scale in the proximity of honey-buzzard nests. These raptors should be considered allies in the fight against hornet populations and included in IPM programmes as a native controller of the pest. © 2025 The Author(s). Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.